Least common of the 16 personality types
What is the Rarest Personality Type?
Of all the 16 possible personality types, you might be curious to know which is least common and where your type ranks. Here’s everything you need to know about the rarest personality type, including traits, gender differences and other uncommon types.
Overall, the rarest personality type is INFJ
The rarest personality type is the INFJ personality type, known as ‘The Counselor’. INFJ is the rarest personality type across the population, occurring in just 2% of the population.
It is also the rarest personality type among men.
INFJ stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging. This unique combination is hard to find in most people.
The INFJ personality type is characterized by their deep sense of integrity and their natural intuition. INFJs are skilled at interpreting the emotions and motivations of others and they work hard to help the people around them. This personality type tends to be idealistic and seeks out deep, meaningful connections with people.
They can often come across as quiet and gentle.
However, the situation is not clear cut
While INFJs are generally understood to be the rarest personality type, there are some other factors to bear in mind. Personality types can vary geographically with some personality types occurring more frequently and more rarely depending on the country, region or environment.
There are also some differences between the rarest personality type for men and women.
The rarest personality type for men
Like the general population, the rarest personality type among men is INFJ. Among men, INFJs make up just 1% compared to 2% of the general population.
There are some questions about why this might be. The INFJ type includes some personality traits that Western society typically views as feminine traits such as high levels of emotional intelligence and empathy. INFJs are known to be sensitive and quiet, often spending time listening to the concerns of others rather than sharing their own thoughts.
It’s possible that boys are raised in a way that encourages them to subdue these aspects of their personality. Maybe they are making choices or exhibiting behaviors that give them a different type on a personality test. We don’t really know why, but the data shows that INFJ is the rarest personality type for men.
The rarest personality type for women
For women, however, the rarest personality type is INTJ and ENTJ. Just 1% of women type as INTJ and ENTJ respectively.
Among women, INFJ is only the third rarest personality type with approximately 2% of women categorized as INFJ.
Both INTJ women and ENTJ women are extremely rare in the general population. It is not clear why this would be. However, the INTJ and ENTJ personality types are associated with being strategic, assertive and analytical. They tend to be less capable at reading their own emotions and the emotions of others. These traits are not typical of women in general, and it could be that – as with INFJ men – INTJ/ ENTJ women are changing their reported behaviors or honing their weaker skills to fit in.
The top 5 rarest personality types ranked
Curious to know the other rarest personality types? INFJ isn’t the only personality type that’s hard to find! There’s actually a large group of personality types that are pretty uncommon in the general population.
Read on to find out the top 5 rarest personality types, ranked from rarest to most common.
1. INFJ
The INFJ personality type is the undisputed top 1 rarest personality type in the general population coming in at just 2%. INFJs are especially rare among men with only 1% of men qualifying as this personality type. It is slightly more common in women at around 2%.
2. INTJ
Known as ‘The Mastermind, INTJ is the next rarest personality type in the general population and the rarest personality type among women. INTJs make up just 2% of the general population and account for 3% of men and just 1% of women.
3. ENTJ
Sharing the top spot for the rarest personality type among women, ENTJ is also one of the rarest personality types in the general population.
Like the closely related INTJ, ENTJs come in at just 2% of the general population, 3% of men and 1% of women.
4. ENFJ
Another of the rarest personality types is ENFJ which can be found in just 3% of the general population. ENFJ is the second rarest personality type among men, occurring in just 2% of men. For women, the rate is a little higher at 3%.
5. ENTP
ENTP snags the 5th spot for the top 5 rarest personality types. This personality type can be found in 3% of the general population. It is slightly more common in men, with 4% of men categorized as ENTP. For women, the personality type is rarer at just 2%, making it one of the rarest personality types.
Understanding the rarest personality types
Looking at the top 5 rarest personality types, it is possible to pick out some patterns in their style of thinking and behaving. The rarest personality types tend to be Intuitives and Judgers, rather than Sensors and Perceivers.
So what does that mean?
Intuition
All the rarest personality types have one thing in common: they are Intuitives rather than Sensors. This is interesting because Intuitives tend to be more abstract in their way of thinking and processing information. They like to look for patterns and theories and are generally more concerned with the future than the present.
The more common personality types tend to be Sensors. Sensors process information differently than Intuitives, preferring to focus on what they can see, hear and feel. They are often described as more practical and they look to understand the world in a more hands-on way.
Judging
There is also a high prevalence of Judging rather than Perceiving types among the top 5 rarest personality types. The Judging/Perceiving dimension of the 16 type system describes how people prefer to structure their lives. Judgers tend to look for order and structure and will prioritize planning over spontaneity.
It is more common to find people who fit into the Perceiving personality type in the general population.
Unlike Judgers, Perceivers prefer things a little less predictable. They value flexibility and prefer to adapt rather than plan.
How does your type compare?
While INFJ is the rarest personality type, that doesn’t make it any better or worse than the other personality types. Each personality type has its own strengths and weaknesses, whether it is more common or harder to find in the general population.
To find out more about the 16 type system, read this next or take the test to find out your personality type!
What is the least common Myers-Briggs personality type?
Posted 07 August 2017 by
Melissa, MBTI Marketing Manager
There’s no wrong personality type, but there is certainly a least common Myers-Briggs personality type. We looked at a sample of the US population from three different organizations to determine what the least common Myers-Briggs personality types are for men and women and talk a little about why the population isn’t just split evenly among the 16 types.
So, what is the least common Myers-Briggs personality type for men and women?
First, what is a sample? A sample is a select group of units (people who’ve taken the official MBTI assessment) from a population (United States) that by studying this group we may fairly generalize our results back to the population.
The numbers we’re sharing below come from three validated sources for Myers-Briggs personality types. The first is the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (CAPT), and they have a sample size (the group you’re adding together) of about 900,000 people over the past 20 years. The second source is The Myers-Briggs Company, the official publisher of the Myers-Briggs assessment, that lists a national representative sample of about 5,000 people, and the last group comes from the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) contributing about 1,000 people. It’s important to keep in mind that these people have taken the actual MBTI assessment and their types have been verified (aka they didn’t take a knock-off quiz just for fun).
Also, these numbers are for the United States only, not samples of type across the globe.
So, what is the least common Myers-Briggs personality type?
The least common Myers-Briggs personality Type is INFJ
People who prefer INFJ make up only 1.5% of the general population in the US. There are only slightly more female INFJs than male INFJs though, with 1.6% of the women in the US having this preference and only 1.3% of the men in the US population having this preference.
The second most rare Myers-Briggs personality type is ENTJ
Those who have preferences for ENTJ are the second most rare Myers-Briggs personality type in the US. With only 1.8% of the total population having preferences for ENTJ, it’s easy to feel misunderstood if you have these preferences. However you have a little more company if you’re a man with ENTJ preferences, as they make up 2.7% of the population while women with ENTJ preferences only account for 0.9% of the population.
The third most rare Myers-Briggs personality type is INTJ
People who prefer INTJ make up 2.
1% of the population. Among men, this type is a little more common with 3.3% of the population. Women, however, only make up 0.8% of the population for INTJs.
ENTJ (0.9%) and INTJ (0.8%) are the least common MBTI personality types for women.
Among men in the US, INFJ (1.3%) and ENFJ (1.6%) are the least common MBTI personality types.
Why is INFJ the most rare personality type?
Asking why INFJ is the least common Myers-Briggs personality type is kind of like asking “why are we here on this planet” or “why do some people prefer ice cream to potato chips.” Remember that these are natural preferences, or inborn preferences, so as far as the population goes there are just less people born with this combination of preferences.
In addition, American culture favors preferences for ESTJ. You’ve probably heard or experienced that American culture (among others around the world) favors behaviors associated with the preference for Extraversion – things like brainstorming sessions, networking, group activities, even happy hours.
The same is true for preferences for Sensing, Thinking and Judging, which is why at times if you have the opposite preference of those listed, you can feel like the world is pushing back against you at times. Regardless of how rare or common one personality type is though, the important thing is that you know how your specific preferences can help you and how can they not in the environment that you’re in.
If you want to see the type table with all 16 MBTI personality types and what percentage of the US they make up for men, women and both, take a look at the PDF from CAPT.
Personality types | 16Personalities
Analysts
Strategist
INTJ-A / INTJ-T
Imaginative, strategic thinkers with a plan for all occasions.
Scientist
INTP-A / INTP-T
Creative inventors, with a strong belief in the power of knowledge.
nine0009
Commander
ENTJ-A / ENTJ-T
Brave, resourceful and strong-willed leaders who always find a way - or make a way.
Debater
ENTP-A / ENTP-T
Smart and curious thinkers who never turn down an intellectual challenge. nine0009
Diplomats
Activist
INFJ-A / INFJ-T
Quiet and mystical, but inspiring and relentless idealists.
Broker
INFP-A / INFP-T
Poetic, kind and altruistic personalities, always ready to stand up for a good cause.
nine0009
Trainer
ENFJ-A / ENFJ-T
Charismatic and inspiring leaders who captivate their listeners.
Wrestler
ENFP-A / ENFP-T
Enthusiasts, creative and sociable free minds who always find a reason to smile. nine0009
Guardians
Administrator
ISTJ-A / ISTJ-T
Practical and factual people whose reliability is unshakable.
Protector
ISFJ-A / ISFJ-T
Very responsible and kind protectors, always ready to protect their loved ones.
nine0009
Manager
ESTJ-A / ESTJ-T
Excellent administrators, unsurpassed specialists in process and people management.
Consul
ESFJ-A / ESFJ-T
Extremely caring, sociable and popular people, always ready to help. nine0009
Seekers
Virtuoso
ISTP-A / ISTP-T
Brave and practical experimenters, masters of all kinds of techniques and tools.
Artist
ISFP-A / ISFP-T
Flexible and charming artists, always ready to explore and experience something new.
nine0009
Dealer
ESTP-A / ESTP-T
Smart, energetic and very receptive people who truly enjoy risk.
Entertainer
ESFP-A / ESFP-T
Spontaneous, energetic and tireless merry fellows - where they are, it's never boring. nine0009
The rarest personality types in men and women: are you one of them?
Have you ever felt that you were different from others or that your interests did not coincide with the interests of most of your friends and acquaintances?
You may be one of the rarest personality types and you don't know it.
According to the typology created by Isabelle Myers and Katherine Briggs, there are 16 personality types, denoted by 4 letters.
To understand your personality type, you need to take a test, which usually includes about 93 questions.
You can take a simplified version of the 4-question test.
This will allow you to better understand yourself and learn about your strengths.
Take a personality test.
Myers and Briggs suggested four key parameters that can be used to classify people:
I/E: Introversion or Extraversion
Introverts energize themselves by spending time alone or in small groups. They are more reserved and thoughtful. nine0009
Extroverts get their energy from being around people in an active, lively environment. They are more expressive and frank.
S/N: Sensation or Intuition
Those who are dominated by sensation focus on their feelings and are interested in information that they can directly see, hear and feel. They learn directly and are practical.
Those who are intuitive tend to think more abstractly.
They are more interested in theories, patterns and explanations. They are more concerned about the future than the present and are often referred to as creative people. nine0009
T/F: Thinking or Feeling
The thinker makes decisions with his head, he is looking for the most logical and rational solution.
The Feeler makes a decision with his heart, he is interested in how his decision will affect people and how it is consistent with his values.
J/P: Judgment or Perception
Predominance of judgment speaks of a person who values structure and order.
Those who are dominated by perception value flexibility and spontaneity. They like to leave a question open so they can change their mind. nine0123 Each of the letters means a style of thinking or behavior characteristic of a person.
So, what types of personality according to the Myers-Briggs typology are considered the rarest?
INFJ - the rarest personality type among men (1.
2%)
Men who combine introversion, intuition, feelings and judgment make up only 0.5% of all men. This is a shrewd and sensitive type who seeks to push society towards progress and change. However, they are not mere bystanders. nine0009
Men of this type are future-oriented, have abstract thinking and believe in the best.
Due to their excellent understanding of people's emotions, they are very empathetic and easy to communicate, and at the same time able to influence people on an emotional level.
INTJ is the rarest personality type among women (0.9%)
Women who combine introversion, intuition, thinking and judgment make up only 0.9 percent of all women tested.
They are ambitious introverts, courageous individuals who do not care about the opinions of the masses and are not afraid to follow their own philosophy of life. nine0009
Women of this personality type have a strategic nature, avoid being in the spotlight and work in the shadows.
They are often seen alone, but they do not care. Every action they take in life is carefully thought out and planned.
5 rarest personality types
ENTP - 3.2% of the population
Strengths: Energetic, inventive, analytical thinking, change oriented, adaptable, independent, novelty seeker, verbose
Weaknesses: insensitive, argumentative, intolerant, scattered, impractical
Celebrities: Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Tom Hanks, Celine Dion
This personality type belongs to progressive people and innovators who can break stereotypes. One of ENTP's favorite activities is to connect with people, share ideas, and participate in discussions. These people have wit and competence in completely different areas, which allows them to deftly wield words during disputes. nine0009
On the other hand, the ENTP type likes to argue, which can lead to conflicts. Also, this personality type can quickly write people off if they can't be on the same level with them or don't support their ideas.
Fun Fact: ENTPs are Type A people who are competitive, ambitious, and even aggressive.
ENFJ - 2.5% of the population
Strengths: sociable, enthusiastic, idealist, empath, executive, imaginative, grateful, tactful
Weaknesses: overly idealistic, overly sensitive, overly disinterested, self-critical, difficult to make decisions.
Celebrities: Barack Obama, Sean Connery, Mikhail Gorbachev, Matthew McConaughey
These are natural leaders, but unlike the ENTJ type, they care more about helping others achieve their goals than their own needs.
They are empathetic and charismatic. This personality type is often found among teachers, coaches and politicians. Although they are quite ambitious, they do not seek only personal gain and make efforts to improve this world by helping others reach their potential. nine0009
These are some of the kindest people, but sometimes they go too far in their desire to help and give themselves completely.
Sometimes they are too hard on themselves.
An interesting fact: the ENFJ type is very common among religious people and those who believe in higher powers.
INTJ - 2.1% of the population
Strengths: inventive, insightful, logical thinking, independence, determination, seeks understanding nine0009
Celebrities: Friedrich Nietzsche, Elon Musk, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Isaac Asimov, Stephen Hawking
INTJs are great thinkers with a good imagination, which makes them great problem solvers. This is a fairly rare personality type, found in only about 2.1% of people.
Unlike other imaginative personality types, INTJs try to use their ideas to solve problems. They do not just dream, but are focused and work hard to realize their plans. nine0009
One of the disadvantages of critical observation of the world is that they are often characterized by pessimism. They can also be critical, seeing people as too lazy and selfish to achieve their goals.
Another negative trait is the refusal to follow strict rules, restrictions and traditions.
Fun Fact: Being perfectionists, INTJs tend to do well in their studies and careers, earning some of the highest salaries.
ENTJ - 1.8% of the population
Strengths: ability to plan, foresight, determination, ability to think strategically, assertiveness, logical thinking, organization.
Weaknesses: critical, stubborn, dominant, intolerant, impatient, arrogant, cold, ruthless.
Celebrities: Steve Jobs, Margaret Thatcher, Whoopi Goldberg, Napoleon Bonaparte, Carl Sagan
People with this personality type make up only about 2 percent of the population. They are born leaders, charismatic and self-confident. However, sometimes they seem overconfident and adamant in their point of view. nine0009
ENTJs are highly motivated and many world leaders, executives and entrepreneurs share this personality type. When they are focused on something, they can achieve anything by pushing their team to better results.
Despite their enthusiasm, they have difficulty coping with their emotions and may not realize that they are hurting loved ones.
Fun Fact: Because ENTJs work hard to achieve good results, they are less likely to be stressed by work and finances. nine0009
INFJ - 1.5% of the population
Strengths: Insightful, creative, serious, persistent, inspiring, loves languages and symbols
Weaknesses: Perfectionist, extremely secretive, burnout easily, sensitive, defensive Mandela, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mother Teresa, Lady Gaga, Edward Snowden
This is the rarest personality type, found in only 1.5 percent of the population. They are dreamers who work hard to make dreams come true. nine0009
Most people of this type consider it their mission to support other people and are always ready to lend a helping hand. Although they appear soft on the outside, they can be described as quite tough and strong-willed, but they use their energy to make the world a better place, not for personal gain.
