Hemoglobin E is most prevalent in mainland Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam[7]), where its prevalence can reach 30 or 40%, and Northeast India, where in certain areas carrier rates reach 60% of the population. In Thailand the mutation can reach 50 or 70%, and it is higher in the northeast of the country. In Sri Lanka, it can reach up to 40% and affects those of Sinhalese and Vedda descent.[8][9] It is also found at high frequencies in Bangladesh and Indonesia.[10][11] The trait can also appear in people of Turkish, Chinese and Filipino descent.[12] The mutation is estimated to have arisen within the last 5,000 years.[13] In Europe there have been found cases of families with hemoglobin E, but in these cases, the mutation differs from the one found in South-East Asia.