Human motivations vary from one psychological type to the other, but how often can these types be found in the general population? Many people are curious about which personality types are more common (or rare) than others – and want to know where their type falls on that scale. Below, you will find the estimated frequencies of each of the personality types (sorted per temperament) by total population and by gender.
Take our Free Personality Test to learn your personality type. This is the ultimate personality profile test, with more than 20 pages of results about you.
How rare or common are each of the 16 different personality types? Where do you fall on the scale? Does gender change the frequency of personality types? You will find the results that answer these questions on this page.
Page Contents
- The Percentages of the 16 Personalities
- Personality Type Percentages
- SJ Population Statistics
- SP Population Statistics
- NT Population Statistics
- NF Population Statistics
- Personality Type Percentages by Gender
- Rarest Personality Type
- Rarest Male Personality Type
- Rarest Female Personality Type
- Other Rare Personality Types
- Most Common Personality Type
The Percentages of the 16 Personalities
It should come as no surprise that the data on how 16 Briggs personality types are distributed is already well established. It is derived from data from the 16 Personalities Foundationthemselves and, in the following article, you will see the curated statistics regarding each type in the United States’ population. For ease of reading, each batch of four personality types is categorized according to the temperament it belongs under. The discovery that these “batches” share similarities among each other, based on their personality preference, can be attributed to David Keirsey, Ph.D, a renowned clinical psychologist, author and professor at California State University, Fullerton.
Before we begin, as a reminder, here are what the personality type letters stand for:
- Extraversion vs. Introversion (E and I)
- Sensing vs. Intuition (S and N)
- Thinking vs. Feeling (T and F)
- Judging vs. Perceiving (J and P)
As you will see below, people who have the Sensing type, the Feeling type and the Judging type are more frequent than those with the Intuition type, the Thinking type and the Perceiving type. Down below you will find the distribution for the rest of the personality traits. Interestingly enough, both the Introvert and Extrovert nature is evenly distributed across the collected data.
In each section, we have also included our own statistics, according to our own data. Our personality type percentages are our own personality type statistics drawn from the 6 million people who have taken our test.
Personality Type Percentages
Before we dive in deep, here’s a brief overview of what the type preference distribution looks like, as well as the frequency of each personality type.
This data is taken from the 16 Personalities Institute:
- Extroverted: 49.3%
- Introverted: 50.7%
- Sensing: 73.3%
- Intuition: 26.7%
- Thinking: 40.2%
- Feeling: 59.8%
- Judging: 54.1%
- Perceiving: 45.9%
This table shows the percentages for different personality types.
| Personality Type | 16 Personalities Percentage |
| INTJ | 2.1% |
| INTP | 3.3% |
| ENTJ | 1.8% |
| ENTP | 3.2% |
| INFJ | 1.5% |
| INFP | 4.4% |
| ENFJ | 2.5% |
| ENFP | 8.1% |
| ISTJ | 11.6% |
| ISFJ | 13.8% |
| ESTJ | 8.7% |
| ESFJ | 12% |
| ISTP | 5.4% |
| ISFP | 8.8% |
| ESTP | 4.3% |
| ESFP | 8.5% |
SJ Population Statistics
SJ temperament personality types (also known as Protectors) are observant, stable and motivated to keep their lives and those of their loved ones secure. They are reliable, diligent and disciplined, often making excellent leaders.
This table shows the personality type percentages for SJ temperaments:
| SJ Temperament Type | 16 Personalities Statistics | pMax Statistics |
| ESTJ | 8.7% | 4.5% |
| ESFJ | 12% | 2.3% |
| ISTJ | 11.6% | 8.6% |
| ISFJ | 13.8% | 2.8% |
TOTAL: 46.1%
SP Population Statistics
SP temperament personality types (also known as Creators) are experimental and primarily driven by sensation. They are very flexible, aesthetically aware and “here and now” type of people.
This table shows the personality type percentages for SP temperaments:
| SP Temperament Type | 16 Personalities Statistics | pMax Statistics |
| ESTP | 4.3% | 3.2% |
| ESFP | 8.5% | 2.9% |
| ISTP | 5.4% | 5.1% |
| ISFP | 8.8% | 2.8% |
TOTAL: 27%
NT Population Statistics
NT temperament personality types (also known as Intellectuals) are introspective, logical and on a constant quest for knowledge. They are abstract, theoretical and technically adept.
This table shows the personality type percentages for NT temperaments:
| NT Temperament Type | 16 Personalities Statistics | pMax Statistics |
| ENTJ | 1.8% | 4% |
| ENTP | 3.2% | 6.6% |
| INTJ | 2.1% | 7.8% |
| INTP | 3.3% | 11.9% |
TOTAL: 10.4%
NF Population Statistics
NF temperament personality types (also known as Visionaries) are introspective and intuitive types, who are also highly idealistic. They are compassionate, with a desire to contribute goodness and meaning into the world.
This table shows the personality type percentages for NF temperaments:
| NF Temperament Type | 16 Personalities Statistics | pMax Statistics |
| ENFJ | 2.5% | 2.9% |
| ENFP | 8.1% | 11% |
| INFJ | 1.5% | 4.2% |
| INFP | 4.4% | 19.4% |
TOTAL: 16.5%
Personality Type Percentages by Gender
Of course, there are some personality differences in the distribution of personality types by gender. Some types have more male representation as opposed to female and vice versa. Sadly, the 16 Personalities Institute doesn’t provide information on this, so we had to use our own data to present the findings.
To supplement our data, we have also turned to another well-known and authoritative study on gender differences and stereotypes. This normative study was conducted in 1996 by Allen Hammer and Wayne Mitchell, and is titled “The Distribution of Personality Types In General Population.” It surveyed 1267 adults on a number of different demographic factors. One of these factors was gender, and its findings can be used to show certain gender trends in temperament preferences in males and females.
Below you will find what we (and they) discovered. This table shows the average distributions of the 16 different personality types by gender.
| TOTAL | MALE | FEMALE |
| INTJ | 2.1% | 3.3% | 0.9% |
| INTP | 3.3% | 4.8% | 1.7% |
| ENTJ | 1.8% | 2.7% | 0.9% |
| ENTP | 3.2% | 4.0% | 2.4% |
| INFJ | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| INFP | 4.4% | 4.1% | 4.6% |
| ENFJ | 2.5% | 1.6% | 3.3% |
| ENFP | 8.1% | 6.4% | 9.7% |
| ISTJ | 11.6% | 16.4% | 6.9% |
| ISFJ | 13.8% | 8.1% | 19.4% |
| ESTJ | 8.7% | 11.2% | 6.3% |
| ESFJ | 12% | 7.5% | 16.9% |
| ISTP | 5.4% | 8.5% | 2.3% |
| ISFP | 8.8% | 7.6% | 9.9% |
| ESTP | 4.3% | 5.6% | 3.0% |
| ESFP | 8.5% | 6.9% | 10.1% |
Rarest Personality Type
Again, according to the 16 Personalities institute, the INFJ personality type is the world’s rarest personality type. This makes sense as this type has Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging preferences — which makes them quiet and sheltered people, that are very much in tune with people’s feelings. If a person has this combination of preferences, it’s easy to understand why they would prefer to blend in with their environment, rather than stand out, as they are an introvert. There might be more people that share the INFJ personality traits out there – they just may not like to make themselves known to the world.
According to our data, the rarest personality type is ESFJ. A person with this personality type is caring, supportive and is concerned for everyone’s well being and happiness. According to the official 16 personalities data, the ESFJ personality type makes up for 12% of the US population. This difference in statistics may be due to difference in sample size (PMax sampled 6 million people), difference in demographics (PMax has test respondents from different countries, not only from the Unites States) and the fact that people from a certain personality type are more prone to answer surveys, such as the 16 personalities test, compared to others.
Rarest Male Personality Type
Our data shows that the rarest male personality type is INFJ. INFJ men make up only about 0.5% of the total males tested. They are introverted, feeling, gentle and idealistic, but still capable of making decisions and carrying on with their goals. They aren’t static spectators — their belief that good and love will save the world compels them to act. Their superior understanding of people’s emotions makes them very empathic and easy to connect to.
Male Temperament Preferences
According to the Hammer-Mitchell study, 68.6% of men have Thinking personality preferences compared to 38.8% of women. This can explain why INFJ is the rarest type among men. This does not mean that men don’t show any Feeling nature — it simply means that a man, as a stereotype, is more likely to be a Thinking type. It also means that men use the Thinking trait more when it comes to decision-making processes. Even if they are more prone to relying on this preference, it is important to know in which situations it’s important to tune into their Feeling nature. This is a skill worth training.
Rarest Female Personality Type
Our data shows that the rarest female personality type is INTJ. Female INTJs also make up about 0.5% of the total females tested. These ambitious, introverted and bold people are unbothered by the general opinion of the masses and are not afraid to pursue their own philosophy of life. Their strategic nature compels them to avoid the spotlight and to work from the shadows. This is why they can often be seen alone — but they don’t mind this at all. For them, every move they make in life is carefully considered and planned in advance.
Female Temperament Preferences
Similarly to the above statistic, the Hammer-Mitchell study found that 61.2% of women prefer Feeling compared to 31.4% of men. This can explain why a female INTJ is in fact a rare personality type. Again, this does not mean that women are oblivious to the Thinking personality trait, but rather that they have a different type of personality characteristics. A worthy analogy is that we all have two hands, but we might prefer our right one to do things with, rather than our left one. Or we might throw a ball with our right hand but catch it with our left, and vice versa. Again, when it comes to situations that demand a certain decision to be made, it is important to know which preference should take precedence — be it following your gut feeling or what common sense tells you. This is a skill that can be trained through a number of different techniques — emotional intelligence being one, for example.
Other Rare Personality Types
With INFJ being the rarest personality type, what are some other rare personality types? Here are the top 5 of the rarest personalities according to the 16 Personalities Institute:
- INFJ: 1.5%
- ENTJ: 1.8%
- INTJ: 2.1%
- ENTP: 3.2%
- INTP: 3.3%
Most Common Personality Type
The most common personality type according to the 16 Personalities Institute is ISFJ, the Defender. This type makes up 13.8% of the US population. This is also not surprising, as they are very logical and traditional people — there is a very big chance you know someone like that in your surroundings. They can be often found in institutions where procedures are key — administration, for example. This personality type is predominantly female — it has only 29% male representation.
According to our data, the most common personality type is INFP. This perceiving type is shy, quiet, feeling and might seem secluded. However, from the inside these people are empathetic, harmonious and maintain rich inner workings. Perhaps the reason why our statistics found that this is the most common personality type is because INFPs are more prone to want to learn more about themselves, hence are more likely to take personality tests such as ours.
Other Common Personality Types
With ISFJ being the most common personality type, what are some other common personality types? Here are the top 5 most common personality types according to the 16 Personalities Institute:
- ISFJ: 13.8%
- ESFJ: 12.3%
- ISTJ: 11.6%
- ISFP: 8.8%
- ESTJ: 8.7%
Take the Personality Test, return to the main Personality Types section or visit another of our "Fun Stuff" pages.
- Famous People by Personality Type (from books and movies)
- Career Matches by Personality Type (commonly satisfying careers for each type)
FAQs
Personality Type Distribution in the General Population
The INTJ – Fourth Rarest MBTI Type.
What are the top 5 most rarest personality types? ›
The INFJ is the rarest personality type as it typically makes up around 2% of the population. Other rare types include INTJ 'the mastermind personality', the ENTJ 'the commander', the ENFJ 'the protagonist' and the ENTP 'the debater'.
What is the least rarest personality type? ›
The least common Myers-Briggs personality Type is INFJ
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.
What's the rarest female personality type? ›
“INTJ is the rarest personality type for women.” In fact, at about 0.5 percent of the population, INTJ women might be the rarest of any gender/type combination (perhaps only rivaled by INFJ men).
Are personalities born or made? ›
When you're born, you're not without personality — it exists in its fundamental form known as temperament. Your temperament, which consists of innate features like energy levels, mood and demeanor, and emotional responsiveness, can then drive the learning experiences that form your personality throughout life.
Which personality type is serious? ›
ISTJ. Quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible. Decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions.
What's the most loved personality type? ›
Some online surveys have shown that ESFP is the most well-liked MBTI personality type.
What is the most common female personality type? ›
Overall, the most common personality type is ISFJ
This type occurs in 14% of the population. It is also the most common personality type among women. ISFJ stands for Introversion, Sensing, Feeling and Judging.
What is the least happy personality type? ›
Which Types Ranked as the Least Happy? Sadly, INFPs ranked the lowest for happiness as well as the lowest for life-satisfaction. According to the third edition of the MBTI® Manual, these types also ranked second highest in dissatisfaction with their marriages and intimate relationships.
Unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. According to most personality type theories, the individual's type is inborn and does not change. However, individuals can develop traits and habits that differ or even directly contradict the description of their type.
What is the most mysterious personality type? ›
The INFJ. The INFJ is one of the rarest and most misunderstood personality types. These types are often seen as mysterious, daydreamy, and even confusing.
What is the hardest personality type to live in? ›
The short answer: INFJ (Introverted-Intuitive-Feeling-Judgment) is the most complex Myers-Briggs Personality Type.
Which MBTI is the smartest? ›
INTJ (Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging) type scores the highest on conceptual IQ tests among all 16 personality types.
Which personality type is impatient? ›
The Type A personality is characteristically impatient, but any of the types can tend towards impatience. (Read more about the four overall personality types.)
Which personality type is attractive? ›
Several experts told Best Life that extroverted, intuitive, feeling, and perceiving people are reliable charmers, thanks to their ability to make you feel at ease when you meet them.
Does your personality change as you get older? ›
Personality may change somewhat over time, but not greatly. These changes do not seem to be systematically related to thinking skills or other common changes we experience in ageing. This suggests that we can retain our individuality as we age. Don't worry about your personality.
Can I change my personality? ›
With a little work, you can nudge your personality in a more positive direction. Several studies have found that people can meaningfully change their personalities, sometimes within a few weeks, by behaving like the sort of person they want to be.
Does God give us our personality? ›
We are individuals in Christ
He loves us as we are, and He has given each of us our personalities and a set of qualities that are individual and unique to us. We don't have to change our personalities to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), but are called to follow Him and serve Him as unique individuals.
Can a human have no personality? ›
It is not possible to have no personality. A personality consists of a person's likes and dislikes. Since everyone has preferences and aversions, they have a personality. Personality can also refer to identity, and every human being holds identities.
Part of the answer to your question is that some of your personality comes from your parents. Just as parents pass down physical traits like hair and eye color to their offspring, they can also give them different personality traits. They're in your genes, the information passed throughout generations.
Which personality type Overthinks most? ›
People who overthink tend to score high in the neurotic department. Neuroticism is one of the five big personality traits, along with openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness.
What is the most angry MBTI type? ›
The ISTP. This type is the most likely to get upset or angry and show it, according to the MBTI® Manual.
Which personality type has the best grades? ›
According to the MBTI® Manual, ISFJs get better grades than the average student in high school, and they are rated by psychologists as one of two types least likely to have trouble in school.
Which personality types talk a lot? ›
Intuitives (N) More Talkative than Sensors (S)
On average, Intuitives tend to talk more than Sensing types. The abstract capacities of intuition contribute to linguistic proficiency, as well as a penchant for verbally exploring and communicating ideas.
Which personality type is always happy? ›
People with an ESFJ-type personality — which stands for Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging — are the most satisfied. In the chart below, a score of 5 represents the highest level of satisfaction possible, and a score of 1 indicates the lowest level of satisfaction.
Which MBTI is most popular? ›
Drumroll, please: The most common Myers Briggs personality type is the ISFJ. According to the Myers-Briggs Foundation, 13.8% of the tested population falls into this category, which stands for introverted, sensing, feeling, and judgment.
What is the second most common personality type? ›
ESFJs are the 2nd most common type of personality. They feel a sense of responsibility towards others and have a tendency to get involved with people and their problems.
What type of personality does a girl like? ›
You see, most women love a guy that has strong self confidence. In fact, they'll be glad to brag about their guy to their girlfriend. How do you show strong confidence to a woman. Simple.
What personality type is shy? ›
An introvert is a person with qualities of a personality type known as introversion, which means that they feel more comfortable focusing on their inner thoughts and ideas, rather than what's happening externally. They enjoy spending time with just one or two people, rather than large groups or crowds.
INTJ: One of The Rarest, Loneliest Personality Types [Introverts and Writing]
Which personality type hide their feelings? ›
Because people with a Type D personality tend to hide their negative emotions, they may not necessarily feel or act depressed or anxious.
At what age is your personality fully formed? ›
When we're maturing, however, these traits are still forming. By the age of 30, the majority of people have reached maturity.
Can a person have two MBTI types? ›
If you're still coming up with two or more types, be both! You may be a wonderfully rounded and developed person with no strong preference between Thinking and Feeling or whatever the pressure point may be. Take what fits and throw away the rest.
At what age do you start to develop your personality? ›
It emerges in the truest sense only as adolescence approaches. These traits don't appear in a clear and consistent manner until the tween years. Before then, you can look at children's behavior as reactions to other personalities around them, whereas behavioral responses occur starting around 11 and 12 years of age.
Which personality type is hard to understand? ›
The INFP may be the toughest personality type of all for others to understand.
Which MBTI is the most creative? ›
According to the MBTI Manual, creativity correlates most strongly with intuition (N), as well as, to a lesser extent, perceiving (P). This suggests that NPs (i.e., the INTP, INFP, ENTP, & ENFP) are, on average, the most creative of all types.
Which personality type is unpredictable? ›
ISTP: logical pragmatists
ISTPs are the most unpredictable of the 16 personality types, because they're typically rational and logical, but can also be enthusiastic and spontaneous.
Which personality type is the most straightforward? ›
ISTJs typically speak in a straightforward manner and have a good head for details. They are usually more enthusiastic about sharing factual information than exploring abstract concepts or unproven ideas.
Which MBTI falls in love hardest? ›
ENFP. ENFPs are one of the personality types that falls in love fastest. They embrace their feelings and falling in love is an adventure for ENFPs.
INFP and INFJ: The Overthinkers
We start off with INFPs and INFJs: two Introverted personalities that often experience bouts of anxiety. When it comes to these types, their anxiety can stem from an inclination to overthinking.
What is the most quiet MBTI type? ›
INTJs are typically very quiet and reserved unless they happen to meet someone who, like them, loves exploring theoretical concepts, analyzing possibilities, and dreaming up long-term goals. That said, they're not typically very verbal when it comes to discussing their feelings or people's personal lives.
Which MBTI is easiest to talk to? ›
Above all, however, what makes an ENFJ most easy to talk to is that they can easily pick up on hidden thoughts, emotions, and motivations (due to their Intuitive preference). In other words, they just know when you're feeling angry, bummed, or drained without you even having to say so.
What is the Chillest personality type? ›
Most Chill: ISTPs are like zen-masters. Their default state of mind in the face of adversity is calm, intense confidence.
What are the weakest personality traits? ›
List of 10 Negative Intellectual Traits
- Inattentive.
- Lazy.
- Rigid.
- Irresponsible.
- Forgetful.
- Impatient.
- Indecisive.
- Inflexible.
People with strong personalities are assertive, focused, determined, and proactive. Tapping into this empowering combination of qualities, they are effective as leaders, teachers, students, creators, administrators, supervisors, and entrepreneurs.
Why is INFJ so rare? ›
Overall, “sensing” individuals are more common than us “feely” types. Some possible explanations for the relative rarity of INFJs may be due to the fact that we're just not in situations where the test is offered, or maybe we don't want to take the test, says Dr.
Is INTP the rarest personality type? ›
INTP is one of the less common types in the population, especially for women. Among women, INTP is the fourth rarest type (after INTJ, ENTJ, and INFJ). INTPs make up: 3% of the general population.
Which of the 16 personalities is the rarest? ›
Advocates (INFJs) may be the rarest personality type of all, but they certainly leave their mark on the world. Idealistic and principled, they aren't content to coast through life – they want to stand up and make a difference.
How rare is INFJ female? ›
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.
Cancer: INFJ, ENFJ
Caring and empathetic, Cancers share similar traits to XNFJs. They tend to be very emotionally invested in their relationships, and will go to the ends of the earth to prove their loyalty to their friends and loved ones.
How serious are INFJ? ›
Namely, INFJs are far less serious inwardly than they appear outwardly (ENFJs, whose dominant function is a Judging function, are characteristically more serious). INFJs' inner world is well described as playful, imaginative, colorful, mischievous, and daring.
How shy are INTP? ›
Personal Relationships With INTPs
While they may be shy around people they do not know well, INTPs tend to be warm and friendly with their close group of family and friends. Because INTPs enjoy solitude and deep thinking, they sometimes strike others as aloof and detached.
Are INTP smartest type? ›
Some might describe the INTP as the smartest personality type—rational, creative, and ceaselessly curious. Others might describe him as an insufferable know-it-all who can never admit he is wrong. One thing's for sure—the INTP divides opinion.
Are all INTP socially awkward? ›
There's a stereotype that the INTP is the weirdest, most socially awkward type of all the 16 Myers-Briggs personalities, and to be fair, that's often true. It's also true that “normal” people can be bewildered by an INTP's behavior.
What was Jesus's personality type? ›
If the conclusions I've drawn are correct, Jesus had preferences for INFJ or perhaps INTJ, INFP or INTP. This might explain why he stood out so much from the crowd, aside from the fact that, for those who believe in him, he was the son of God.
