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How rare is it to be left-handed and left-footed?

Author

Emily Sparks

Published Jan 22, 2026

Overall 40% of us are left-eared, 30% are left-eyed and 20% are left-footed. But when it comes to handedness, only 10% of people are lefties. Why could this be?

Is left-handed and left-footed rare?

Overall, there were 61.6 percent right-footers, 8.2 percent left-footers, and 30.2 percent mixed-footers. Thus, the numbers of left-handers and left-footers are comparable. However, there is a much higher number of people who are mixed-footed than mixed-handed or ambidextrous.

What does it mean if you are left-handed and left-footed?

Mixed dominance or cross laterality happens when a person doesn't favor the same side of the body for a dominant hand, foot, eye and ear.

Can you be left-handed and left-footed?

Footedness and handedness are related in most people, but not every left-hander is also a left-footer. Tran and Voracek (2016) reported that out of 1026 left-handers investigated in their study, 59 percent were left-footed, 25 percent were mixed-footed and only 17 percent were right-footed.

Is it normal to be right handed but left-footed?

You may have seen a similar trend with left-handed people. Because the majority of people who are right-handed are also right-footed, in some cases where a person writes with their right hand but prefers to use their left foot, they may have been predisposed to being left-handed but were raised to use their right hand.

42 related questions found

Are left-footed players rare?

Being left footed is rare, roughly only 10% are left footed. So why do they have such a high representation of players who are not good with both feet?

Is it rare to be left-handed?

-Counting how many people are left-handed is more difficult than it looks, because of variations in preference and skill from task to task and because of left-handers having been forced to write with their right hand, but the best estimate we have is that roughly 10% of the world population is left-handed.

What percentage of people are left-footed?

Overall 40% of us are left-eared, 30% are left-eyed and 20% are left-footed. But when it comes to handedness, only 10% of people are lefties.

Is being left-footed genetic?

Clare Porac, a professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University who studies handedness, explains. Researchers who study human hand preference agree that the side of the preferred hand (right versus left) is produced by biological and, most likely, genetic causes.

Is Messi left-footed and right-handed?

i have noticed that the majority of top class left footed players are right handed - maradonna, Messi, bale, giggs, griezmann etc etc.. just look at the pics of them signing autographs..

Which leg is usually stronger?

If you're like most athletes, your left leg and foot are probably stronger than the right ones. Right now you can probably do more heel raises, step-ups and partial squats on your left leg than your right. And – the really key point – you're probably stronger with your left leg when you run.

Is cross-dominance rare?

Cross-dominance: Very uncommon, about a 1% prevalence. Favoring right foot: 81.0% Favoring right eye: 71.1%

How rare is cross-dominance in hands?

Mixed-handedness or cross-dominance is the change of hand preference between different tasks. This is very uncommon in the population with about a 1% prevalence.

Why left-handed are rare?

A new study suggests lefties are rare because of the balance between cooperation and competition in human evolution. The findings come thanks to some data from the sports world. Representing only 10 percent of the general human population, left-handers have been viewed with suspicion and persecuted across history.

Is left-handed a disability?

The Mouthwire article claiming left-handed people are eligible for disability is completely false. Disability is a program designed to help those who are unable to work. Being left-handed does not prevent someone from working.

Is Messi left-footed?

Arguably the world's greatest ever player, Lionel Messi is another left-footed wizard capable of weaving all kinds of magic with a left foot that has been likened to glue because of his ability to retain possession and control of the ball.

Why left-handed are smarter?

In left-handed people, both sides of the brain tend to communicate more effectively. This means that left-handed people may have superior language and verbal ability. The research may also shed new light on the role that brain development plays in neurological disorders .

Are you born right or left-handed?

Special or not, lefties are born, not made: Genetics are at least partially responsible for handedness. Up until last year, it was assumed that hand preference comes from asymmetrical genes in the brain—two hands, two brain hemispheres, one is dominant.

How do you know which foot is dominant?

The foot that lands on the bottom stair first will most likely be your dominant foot. Try it a couple of times in a row to see if you react the same each time. You can also try this by approaching a flight of stairs at a normal walking pace. The foot you instinctively use on the first step is your dominant foot.

Is ambidextrous rare?

When referring to humans, it indicates that a person has no marked preference for the use of the right or left hand. Only about one percent of people are naturally ambidextrous, which equates to about 70,000,000 people out of the world's population of 7 billion.

How rare is a left-handed girl?

Similar results were also reported by a recent study that investigated left-handedness in the UK Biobank study, a large dataset with about 500,000 participants (de Kovel et al., 2019). Here it was found that in the UK, 8.6 percent of women and 10.6 percent of men were left-handed.

What are lefties good at?

Left-handed people are said to be good at complex reasoning, resulting in a high number of lefty Noble Prize winners, writers, artists, musicians, architects and mathematicians. According to research published in the American Journal of Psychology, lefties appear to be better at divergent thinking.

What do left-handers struggle with?

Here are some of the struggles lefties face in day-to-day life:

  • Finding a comfortable desk position. ...
  • Handling household equipment and devices. ...
  • Using public transport. ...
  • Elbow wars and being pushed to the far left. ...
  • Measuring cups, tapes, rulers — all favour the righties.

Is Messi two footed?

Lionel Messi may be Barcelona's brightest star, but his weaker right foot excludes him from consideration on this list. Several of his teammates are present, however, including Pedro, who appears to be equally strong with both feet.

Are left-footed players more one footed?

On average, right footed passes are one metre longer than left footed passes. Right footed passes are completed around 81% of the time, left footed passes 78.5%. This trend holds regardless of the foot dominance of players.