FACE FORM FINDER · 9 OCTOBER 2026
Hair Growth Rate
The readings, group by group
The table lists each group with its sample size and its measured growth rate. The rate is shown in centimetres per month, calculated from the micrometre-per-day values the underlying measurement recorded. Each row carries its own sample size, so the figure can be read against the group it came from.
| Ethnic group | n | Growth rate (cm/month) measured in µm/day |
|---|---|---|
| African-American | 64 | 0.95 cm/month 312 µm/day |
| Brazilian | 184 | 1.13 cm/month 370 µm/day |
| Caribbean | 97 | 1.01 cm/month 332 µm/day |
| Caucasian-American | 55 | 1.17 cm/month 385 µm/day |
| Caucasian-Australian | 58 | 1.18 cm/month 389 µm/day |
| Chinese | 249 | 1.27 cm/month 418 µm/day |
| Danish | 70 | 1.21 cm/month 397 µm/day |
| French | 86 | 1.12 cm/month 368 µm/day |
| Indian | 177 | 1.24 cm/month 409 µm/day |
| Japanese | 56 | 1.30 cm/month 427 µm/day |
| Kanak | 64 | 1.08 cm/month 356 µm/day |
| Korean | 96 | 1.30 cm/month 426 µm/day |
| Latino-American | 58 | 1.04 cm/month 343 µm/day |
| Lebanese | 56 | 1.20 cm/month 394 µm/day |
| Mexican | 92 | 1.20 cm/month 395 µm/day |
| North-African | 85 | 1.20 cm/month 393 µm/day |
| Peruvian | 90 | 1.14 cm/month 374 µm/day |
| Polish | 60 | 1.18 cm/month 387 µm/day |
| Russian | 59 | 1.15 cm/month 377 µm/day |
| Scottish | 90 | 1.21 cm/month 397 µm/day |
| South-African | 114 | 0.83 cm/month 272 µm/day |
| Spanish | 50 | 1.22 cm/month 402 µm/day |
| Thai | 87 | 1.24 cm/month 406 µm/day |
| Western-African | 152 | 0.88 cm/month 289 µm/day |
Conversion, written out
The measurement recorded growth in micrometres per day (µm/24h). To read it in centimetres per month, assuming a constant rate along the growth phase:
cm/month = µm/day × 0.0001 × 30.44
Example: Japanese 427 µm/day × 0.0001 × 30.44 = 1.30 cm/month. The centimetre-per-month figures are calculated from the measured micrometre-per-day figures; they are worked out, not separately measured in that unit. Each row's micrometre-per-day value is the measured input; the 30.44 figure is the average number of days in a month.
30.44 is the mean length of a month (365.25 ÷ 12), used so the centimetre-per-month column is worked out on one consistent basis. Rounding the month to 30 days (factor 0.003) lowers each value by about 0.02 cm/month — Japanese would read 1.28 instead of 1.30. The table uses 30.44 throughout; no second set of figures is given.
What the range means
The number quoted most often for scalp hair is about 1 cm a month. These readings show that number is a midpoint, not a ceiling or a floor: East Asian groups reached 1.27 to 1.30 cm/month and the African groups sat at 0.83 to 0.88 cm/month. The spread is larger than the gap you would expect from measurement error on its own in several groups, so it is a real between-group difference rather than noise.
The readings come from measurements of 2,249 healthy young adults (18 to 35 years old) across 24 ethnic groups on five continents. Within that same cohort, ages 26 and above grew 0.4 cm/year slower than ages 25 and below (worked out as ≈0.033 cm/month, p < 0.001); the cohort was 18 to 35 years old, so this is a within-adult comparison, not a childhood-to-old-age one. Readings collected 8 October 2026.
Is there one normal hair growth rate?
No single figure fits the whole set of groups. The 24-group range runs from 0.83 to 1.30 cm/month, and the often-quoted 1 cm/month sits inside that band without describing where any one group sits. A rate near 1 cm/month is a population midpoint, not a target that any one person should match.
Related guides
- Hair Length Chart — the tiers hair reaches, and the grow-out months between them.
- Hair Texture Chart — texture families and how they read at each length.
- Hair Color Chart — the tone scale and how it is measured.
- Hair Types Chart — the typing system behind the texture notes.
- Haircuts for Men — the cut hub once the length target is set.