Rare & Remarkable Human Traits

Blood Types Ranked From Most Common to Rarest

Eight common blood types, ranked by how often they show up in the U.S. population, plus who can give to whom and why O-negative donors are always in demand.

By Written Facts StaffOctober 2, 20262 min read

Everyone has a blood type, but most people don't know theirs, or how common it is. In the United States, the eight common blood types are far from evenly split. Two types cover most of the country.

The ranking (U.S., approximate)

O positive: about 37%, the most common.
A positive: about 36%.
B positive: about 9%.
O negative: about 7%.
A negative: about 6%.
AB positive: about 3%.
B negative: about 2%.
AB negative: under 1%, the rarest of the eight, roughly 1 in 150 to 170 people.

O positive and A positive together cover roughly three-quarters or more of Americans. Percentages vary by ancestry and country; for example, type B is much more common in parts of Asia than in the U.S.

What the letters and signs mean

A, B, AB, O: whether your red blood cells carry the A antigen, the B antigen, both, or neither.
Positive or negative: whether they carry the RhD antigen. Read more about RH-negative blood.

Who can give to whom

O negative red cells can go to almost anyone, which is why hospitals want them for emergencies when there's no time to test. O-negative donors are often called universal donors.
AB positive people can receive red cells from all types: universal recipients.
AB plasma is the universal plasma donation, the reverse of red cells.

The real rarities

Beyond the eight common types are hundreds of rare blood types defined by other antigens. The rarest of all is Rh-null, golden blood, reported in only a few dozen people worldwide.

Know your type

Donating blood is the easiest way to find out: blood banks test it and tell you. And if you're O negative or have a rare type, your donation is especially valuable.

Sources (2)

MemorialCare: Blood types and facts; Medical News Today: Most common blood type by ethnicity.

Photo: 09104jfBloodletting Blood donation Philippine Red Cross SM City Baliuagfvf 07 by Judgefloro, CC0.