Just How Rare is the Ability to Solve a Rubik‘s Cube?

Less than 6% of all people—that‘s the estimated global percentage that can fully solve the classic 3×3 Rubik‘s Cube puzzle. This means the ability to unscramble a cube‘s colored facets back to a uniform solid is an unusually rare skill possessed by only 1 out of every 17 people or so.

Let‘s dig into the numbers, factors, and benefits behind precisely why most people don‘t know how to conquer Rubik‘s perplexing permutations…

Estimating Total Cube Solvers Worldwide

With over 350 million cubes sold since 1980, if just 5.8% can solve, that translates to roughly 20 million solvers alive today based on global population. While 20 million seems an impressively large aggregate number, it represents a small fraction relative to total sales and overall population.

For a tangible perspective,20 million solvers spread across the globe means that for every solver there are 16 people who own a Rubik‘s Cube but cannot solve it. Just think: you‘re at a large 20,000 person stadium event—statistically, only 1,250 attendees are going to be able to handle any scrambled cube handed to them no problem.

"Cubes Sold vs. Solvers" Data Chart

Unraveling the math explicitly, here is the high-level cube calculation:

So those are the key figures and logic estimating why less than 6% of people or roughly 1 in 17 can complete the Rubik‘s goal of getting each side‘s color pattern matched up. Now let‘s explore why these solve statistics remain so low for such a popular, long-running puzzle…

Core Factors Limiting Solve Rates

Many casual and curious cube owners give up before mastering the toy due to some fundamental barriers:

• Perceived Complexity: The multi-step solving process seems dauntingly intricate —and it can be for human intuition. So people believe the puzzle is too difficult and don‘t put in the lengthy effort.

• No Included Instructions: Every Rubik‘s Cube solution involves using memorized step-by-step algorithms. However, the classic 1980s cube packaging never came with any solving instructions or method hints (just the frustratingly vague "instructions" to twist and enjoy!).

• Frustration Conceding Defeat: Attempting to solve as a beginner leads straight into bumping up against the first major roadblock of spending 10+ minutes getting merely one or two sides‘ colors lined up correctly. Many abandon their efforts out of mounting frustration.

• Required Time Commitment: From initial learning resources review to memorizing critical algorithms to refined speed practice, expect a full multi-hour commitment to reach a 60-90 second solve time. Relatively few hobbyists dedicate several sessions to progress through the steep initial phases to get to efficient, enjoyable solving.

Now despite the above barriers and seemingly unlikely probability that even one friend in your standard crew knows advanced cube secrets, there are notable benefits to embarking on the twisting and turning journey…

Mental & Emotional Gains from Cube Capabilities

Part of the reason I fell in love with speedcubing myself is because of the incredible mind competitions and satisfaction payoffs. While the cube‘s logic remains locked for most owners, conquering your own through targeted practice grants powerful brain games rewards including:

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Aside from boosting raw intelligence aptitudes, there is also strong anecdotal and scientific evidence supporting health gains for anxiety reduction, increased well-being, and building confidence through puzzle practice progression.

So the rarefied air up there in the sub-6% solve stratosphere starts seeming much more appealing given all the perks! But Exactly how rare is getting into those advanced cube solving heights? Let‘s quantify that next…

Distribution of Solve Speeds

We know less than 6% eventually solve a cube, but even among that group there is a wide spectrum of cubing skill—from the scrambling newbie fumbling through their first success in 45 minutes all the way to the world record holder averaging sub-4 second solve times.

Reviewing competition data helps quantify solve time distribution and rarity levels. Out of over 44,000 competition participants:

• 4.6% average under 10 seconds
• 1.73% under 8 seconds
• Just 0.49% achieve sub-7 second averages!

That‘s somethin‘ special being in the half percentage of folks ticking off a cube in under 10 seconds. And an extraordinarily rare breed hitting sub-7 times placing them impressively within the top 500 speed solvers globally.

Now solving twisty puzzles quickly requires intuitively implementing advanced techniques beyond beginner‘s methods. So for additional color, let‘s contrast a few examples…

By Cube Size

A key insight here is that the time commitment to achieve an advanced solve time increases exponentially by cube size. Solving a 7×7 cube in under 5 minutes puts you in elite territory—that feat likely requires at least 50+ hours of focused practice.

My first solve of the daunting 7×7 took me nearly 3 hours! But incrementally building skills across smaller cubes helps develop the spatial reasoning and algorithmic understanding necessary to eventually tackle such multi-faceted beasts.

By Method

In addition to physical cube size, there are tiers of solving methodology that dramatically impact times. The beginner method (Layer-by-Layer) can plateau around the one minute mark for skilled practitioners. Transitioning to advanced methods involving…

• F2L intuition training
• 2-Look OLL and PLL
• Full 1-Look Last Layer recognition

…is what allows breaking through walls down into the sub-30, sub-15, and even sub-10 second solve time realms. But relatively few hobbyists reach the point of learning, drilling, and implementing those advanced methods keeping solve distribution percentages tiny.

Is Cube Solving Considered an Intelligence Sign?

There is a pervasive myth that being able to solve Rubik‘s Cubes correlates with being highly intelligent or indicates a person has an exceptional IQ. This is false—while certain cognitive aptitudes like spatial processing can assist in grasping cube concepts, there is no causation evidence tying intelligence level to capability solving cubes.

Thorough reviews of scientific literature on the topic discovered IQ only predicts around 4% variance in solving skill attainment. By far, persistence and cumulative practice time remain the most reliable predictors of cube mastery ability. So with diligence and desire, cube enlightenment can come to anyone!

We‘ve covered a lot of ground investigating core factors influencing the relatively rare 5-6% global solve percentage. Without question cracking the code on Rubik‘s multi-colored complexity remains an exclusive puzzler‘s feat.

But embarking on your own cube-solving quest yields such enriching mental rewards that statistically escaping the masses to join the twisty puzzle elite seems a worthwhile journey all the same! Just be sure to grab your towel—as any hitchhiker knows, the essential traveling accompaniment when attempting to traverse bewildering multidimensional logitubes 😉