Face shape statistics: what 1,196 measured faces show
Key findings
We measured 1,196 frontal portraits of public figures (540 women, 646 men) with the same on-device model FaceTwin uses for its free face analysis. The most common face shape is oval (52%), the rarest is diamond (3.8%). Heart-shaped faces are six times more common among women (16.1%) than men (2.8%). Median symmetry is 79% and only 17% of faces reach 90%. Most eyes have a neutral canthal tilt (70.2%); positive tilt appears in 27.8% of women and 14.6% of men. The median face length-to-width ratio is 1.449 — about 10% short of the golden ratio of 1.618.
How common is each face shape?
| Face shape | All | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oval | 52% | 50.6% | 53.4% |
| Oblong | 16.5% | 22% | 11.6% |
| Round | 10.5% | 5.4% | 14.7% |
| Heart | 8.9% | 16.1% | 2.8% |
| Square | 8.4% | 4.8% | 11.3% |
| Diamond | 3.8% | 1.1% | 6.2% |
Shapes are classified from the ratio of estimated face length to cheekbone width, jaw width relative to cheekbones, brow width relative to cheekbones and the jaw angle. Because a 68-point landmark model smooths face outlines, we set the boundaries from the measured distribution rather than textbook ratios — otherwise nearly every face would be labelled “oval”.
How symmetric are faces?
| Symmetry | All | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median | 79% | 79% | 78% |
| 10th–90th percentile | 59–91% | 59–92% | 58–90% |
| 90% or higher | 17% | 20.2% | 13.9% |
Symmetry mirrors 26 pairs of landmarks (eyes, brows, nostrils, mouth corners, jaw outline) across the facial midline and expresses the average mismatch relative to the distance between the eyes. Even among public figures photographed by professionals, a perfectly symmetric face does not exist.
Canthal tilt and jaw angle
| Measure | All | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive canthal tilt (≥5°) | 20.5% | 27.8% | 14.6% |
| Neutral tilt (1–5°) | 70.2% | 66.9% | 72.9% |
| Negative tilt (<1°) | 9.4% | 5.4% | 12.5% |
| Median tilt | 3.5° | 4° | 3° |
| Defined jaw (<141°) | 18.3% | 15.9% | 20.1% |
| Median jaw angle | 145.9° | 146.5° | 145.4° |
Golden ratio and facial thirds
The median face length-to-width ratio was 1.449 (1.47 for women, 1.43 for men). Faces are, on average, wider than the golden ratio of 1.618 suggests — the ratio is a classical rule of thumb, not a description of real faces. For facial thirds, the median balance score was 75%, and the lower third was longer than the middle third in 15.8% of faces.
Methodology and limitations
- Sample: people with Wikipedia articles in 45+ languages, born 1945 or later, whose Wikidata portrait on Wikimedia Commons is freely licensed; 1,196 photos passed our frontal-pose filter (head turned less than ~10%, tilted less than 15°).
- Model: face-api (MIT licence) — SSD MobileNet detector, 68-point landmarks; geometry in our open formulas described on the methodology page.
- Limitations: public figures are not a random sample of the population; red-carpet photos favour flattering angles and makeup; 2D landmarks cannot see the hairline, so the top third is estimated. Treat these numbers as descriptive, not as norms.
- Privacy: we publish aggregates only and never rate named individuals.
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Cite as: FaceTwin (2026). Face shape statistics of 1,196 public figures. https://getfacetwin.com/face-shape-statistics/
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common face shape?
Oval. In our measurements of 1,196 frontal photos of public figures, 52% had an oval face shape, followed by oblong (16.5%) and round (10.5%). Diamond was the rarest at 3.8%.
What is the rarest face shape?
Diamond — 3.8% of all faces we measured (1.1% of women, 6.2% of men).
Do men and women have different face shapes?
Yes, on average. Heart-shaped faces were 16.1% of women but only 2.8% of men; round and square faces were more common in men (14.7% and 11.3%) than in women (5.4% and 4.8%).
How symmetric is an average face?
The median facial symmetry was 79% on our scale; the middle 80% ranged from 59% to 91%, and only 17% of faces reached 90% or more.
Do most people have a positive canthal tilt?
No. 70.2% of faces had a neutral tilt (1–5°), 20.5% positive (5° or more) and 9.4% negative. Positive tilt was about twice as common among women (27.8%) as men (14.6%).
Does anyone have golden-ratio proportions?
Rarely. The median face length-to-width ratio was 1.449, about 10% below the golden ratio of 1.618.