These are the most handsome men in the world (according to science)

And yet we still don't stand a chance with any of them

most handsome men in the world
(Image credit: Getty Images)

And yet we still don't stand a chance with any of them

Science has validated what we all basically knew already - George Clooney has the most handsome face in the entire world. A study of the world’s most beautiful men has been revealed, using both old school golden ratio standards and advanced computer mapping technology to determine a top ten list, and there's a few familiar faces on it.

What is the golden ratio?

The golden ratio is a mathematical ratio, based on the Fibonacci sequence. It occurs naturally in the most unexpected of places, from flowers to the human body, and is also known as the beauty phi. Apparently, we find people whose faces and bodies are closest to the golden ratio to be the most aesthetically pleasing and Leonardo Da Vinci even used it as the basis for some of his works.

Using the calculation, a plastic surgeon named Dr De Silva from The Centre For Advanced Facial Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery created a programme to measure human beauty. It applies the golden ratio to every aspect of the human face - the lips, nose, eyebrow, chin, you name it - and then averages them out to score someone's overall aesthetic perfection.

Dr De Silva explained, 'These brand new computer mapping techniques allows us to solve some of the mysteries of what it is that makes someone physically beautiful. The Phi ratio of 1.618 has long been thought to hold the secret of beauty, and now with the computer mapping we can calculate exactly how it applies to men.'

The 10 Most Handsome Men In the World

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian De Silva

10. Jamie Foxx

The Django actor had an overall score of 85.46%, after averaging out his twelve different facial markers. However, he actually had the second most handsome chin on the list with a score of 98.7% - near perfection.

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian de Silva

9. Zayn Malik

Zayn Malik was one of two former Directioners on the list, coming in at a score of 86.5%.

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian de Silva

8. Ryan Gosling

We knew this the moment we watched The Notebook, Ryan Gosling is near human perfection with a golden ratio score of 87.48%. He actually has the most perfect nose on the list as well with a score of 99.7%.

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian De Silva

7. Idris Elba

Another Brit on the list - our man Idris Elba was the seventh most beautiful man with a score of 87.93%. He also had the fifth best eyes (93.65%), the fourth most handsome chin (98.5%) and the fifth most perfectly shaped face (91.4%), so he's not doing too badly for himself.

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian de Silva

6. Will Smith

Innnn West Philadelphia, born and raised, Will Smith's golden ratio totally slayed. He scored 88.88% overall and also had the second most beautiful eyes with 97.75%.

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian de Silva

5. David Beckham

Becks is gonna be pleased about this one. The mega footballer scored 88.96% overall - just about nudging Will Smith out of the way - and also had the fifth most handsome nose (84.6%), the third most handsome chin (98.6%) and was the shoe in for most perfectly shaped face at 96.4%.

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian de Silva

4. Harry Styles

While the former One Direction singer ranked in at fourth overall (89.63%), he raked in some of the top scoring facial features. He is now the proud owner of the world's most handsome eyes (98.15%) and the world's most handsome chin (99.7%) - how about having that on your CV?

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian de Silva

3. Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt has long been one of Hollywood's biggest heartthrobs and the science has officially warranted it. With a score of 90.51%, the mapping programme also determined he had the third best eyes (97.75%) and the third most perfectly shaped face (92.9%).

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian de Silva

2. Bradley Cooper

It's hard to believe the Limitless actor only really caught our eye back in 2009 with The Hangover - it feels like we've been in love with him forever. He had an overall score of 91.80% and also had the fourth most handsome nose and perfectly shaped face.

most beautiful men in the world

Credit: Dr Julian de Silva

1. George Clooney

And here he is, the king of the golden ratio himself. The 56 year old actor and new father of twins scored an impressive 91.86%, as well as coming in second for best nose (99.6%) and fourth for most handsome eyes (94.8%).

Dr De Silva elaborated, 'George Clooney has been feted as the world's most beautiful man for decades - and it is great that his status has now been proved by science. He has beautiful facial symmetry and gets closer than any other man to having what the Greeks considered the perfect face. George had a near perfect ratio of nose to lip dimension of 99.6% and his chin and eye spacing were almost perfect as well. Across the 12 key markers he had the highest combined score.'

One contender who didn't quite make the list was Prince William, however he did wind up scoring third highest for the world's most handsome nose (87.9%). Well, at least it's something.

As with all these things though, it's worth remembering that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ergo, Tom Hardy will forever feature in my top ten - regardless of any mathematical ratio.

Megan C. Hills

Megan is a freelance journalist who covers entertainment and all things lifestyle, with a particular passion for fashion, beauty, travel and Keanu Reeves stories. She has previously worked on staff for titles including Marie Claire UK, CNN Style and The Evening Standard and has written for titles such as Bustle UK, Wallpaper*, Forbes and Hong Kong Tatler. She splits her time between London and her hometown Hong Kong, where she currently lives with the love of her life - an elderly dog named Poppy - and her husband.