Rarity & identity • 5 min read • By RareScore Research Desk • Published 2026-09-29 • Updated 2026-09-29

What Is the Rarest Personality Type? What the MBTI Data Shows

Is INFJ really the rarest type? Two samples published by the MBTI’s own publisher give different answers, and the reason matters more than the ranking.

Sixteen types, and the shortest block changes depending on who was sampled.

What to know before reading further

In the US sample published in The Myers-Briggs Company’s supplement to the MBTI Manual (3,578 adults), the least common types were ENTJ (1.8%) and ENFJ (2.3%). INFJ was 2.9%.
In a Singapore sample of 12,838 people published by the same company, the least common types were ESFP (2.5%) and ENFJ (3.0%).
ISTJ was the most common type in both samples: 17.6% in the US and 22.8% in Singapore.
The “rarest type” depends on who is sampled. A rare type label also says little about how uncommon your actual personality is.

This guide answers: Find out which MBTI type is least common according to published data, why different sources disagree, and what a rare type does and doesn’t say about you.

Why the answer keeps changing

Ask the internet for the rarest personality type and most articles say INFJ. The data published by The Myers-Briggs Company, which publishes the MBTI assessment, is less tidy.

Its US supplement to the MBTI Manual reports a sample of 3,578 US adults recruited through a market research firm, with targets set from US Census data. In that sample ENTJ was the least common type at 1.8%, followed by ENFJ at 2.3%. INFJ came in at 2.9%, ahead of ENTP (3.0%) and INTJ (3.1%).

A 2017 technical brief from the same publisher (then CPP, Inc.) reports 12,838 respondents in Singapore. There, the least common types were ESFP (2.5%) and ENFJ (3.0%), and ENTJ was 5.5%. The brief says plainly that this was a convenience sample, so it should not be read as the type distribution of Singapore’s population.

So the honest answer to “what is the rarest personality type?” is: it depends on the sample. In the US data above, ENTJ. In the Singapore data, ESFP. INFJ is uncommon in both, but it is not at the bottom of either table.

The two tables side by side

Least common types in each sample, as published:

US (English) sample, N = 3,578: ENTJ 1.8%, ENFJ 2.3%, INFJ 2.9%, ENTP 3.0%, INTJ 3.1%.
Singapore sample, N = 12,838: ESFP 2.5%, ENFJ 3.0%, ISFP 3.2%, ESTP 3.3%, INFJ 3.4%.

Most common types in each sample:

US: ISTJ 17.6%, ISFJ 10.6%, ISTP 9.4%.
Singapore: ISTJ 22.8%, ESTJ 12.3%, ISFJ 8.3%.

ENFJ is the one type near the bottom of both lists. That is about as close to a stable “rarest type” as these two tables allow.

Why samples disagree

Type frequencies move for ordinary reasons:

Who was asked. A census-targeted panel, a group of employees taking the MBTI at work, and people who found a free quiz online are different populations.
Which version of the test was used. The US figures come from the Global Step I assessment; the Singapore figures come from Form Q.
Gender mix. Both reports publish separate tables for men and women, and some types differ a lot between them. In the Singapore sample, INTJ was 8.6% of men and 5.4% of women.
Culture and language. The Singapore brief notes respondents took the assessment in North American English.

When an article gives one percentage for a type with no sample behind it, you can’t tell which of these it reflects.

What a rare type does and doesn’t tell you

A four-letter type sorts people into one of 16 boxes based on four preferences. Two people with the same type can still differ a lot, because each preference is a sorting decision, not a measure of how strong the preference is. Someone who barely leans toward Extraversion gets the same E as someone who is extremely outgoing.

That is why “I’m an ENTJ, so I’m rare” is a weak claim about a person. It tells you which box you landed in. It doesn’t tell you how many people share your full mix of motives, habits, and reactions. Trait models such as the Big Five keep scores continuous, which makes them better suited to that question. For more on combinations, see The Rarest Personality Traits.

Frequently asked questions

Is INFJ the rarest personality type?

Not in the two samples published by the MBTI’s publisher that we checked. INFJ was 2.9% of the US sample and 3.4% of the Singapore sample. ENTJ (1.8%) was least common in the US sample and ESFP (2.5%) in the Singapore sample.

What is the most common personality type?

ISTJ was the most common type in both samples: 17.6% in the US and 22.8% in Singapore.

Does having a rare type mean I have a rare personality?

Not necessarily. A type is one of 16 categories. How uncommon your personality is depends on your full combination of traits, which a four-letter code compresses.

Where do the popular percentages online come from?

Many articles don’t say. If a percentage has no named sample, sample size, and year, treat it as unverified.

Reading your own type result

Say a free online quiz tells you that you are an INFJ and that INFJs are “the rarest type.” Before you take that on board, check three things. Is the quiz the official MBTI assessment, or a different test that borrows the letters? Does it show how strongly you leaned on each preference? And does its rarity claim name a sample?

If you want a rarity read that doesn’t depend on a type label, the How Rare Am I? test scores your answers across seven traits and shows which ones drive the result. The EQ & personality test covers motives, relationships, and behavior under pressure.

Use this checklist

Does the rarity claim name its sample and sample size?
Is the test the official MBTI assessment or a look-alike?
Are men and women reported separately where it matters?
Does the result show how strong each preference is?
Are you treating a category as a ranking of people?

What the evidence supports

Based on the published data we checked, ENTJ was the least common type in a census-targeted US sample and ESFP was least common in a Singapore convenience sample, with ENFJ near the bottom of both. If you want to know how uncommon you are rather than how uncommon your box is, take the free How Rare Am I? test.

About the RareScore Research Desk

This guide was reviewed for claim strength, source quality, originality, and practical usefulness. The Research Desk is an editorial function, not a licensed clinical service. See the editorial standards and writing-process disclosure.

Sources and further reading

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