National Cancer Institute
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Definition:
heritability (HAYR-ih-tuh-BIH-lih-tee) listen
The proportion of variation in a population trait that can be attributed to inherited genetic factors. Heritability estimates range from 0 to 1 and are often expressed as a percentage. A number close to 1 may be indicative of a highly heritable trait within a population. It should not be used to estimate risk on an individual basis.