MBTI Percentages (A 7 Point Guide)

In this guide we will be examining the MBTI percentages, i.e we will look at the frequency of each personality type in the general population as well as in specific populations. We will also include a description of some of the rarest and most common personality types.

MBTI Percentages:

The MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is a personality system made of 16 personality types. It is based on the way a person perceives and engages with the world. The MBTI tool assigns people on the basis of 4 dimensions: introversion vs. extraversion, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, judging vs. perceiving. It is based on Carl Jung’s theory.

As can be expected, the 16 MBTI types are not equally distributed in the population. The percentages of each MBTI in the population vary. A lot of people are curious about how rare or common their MBTI type is. They also want to know whether the percentage of a specific MBTI personality type varies based on gender and other factors.

The Myers-Briggs Foundation have curated a set of statistics about the percentages of the different MBTI types. In general, people with the Sensing (S), Feeling (F), Judging (J) as a dominant function are more common than those with Intuition (N), Thinking (T) and Perceiving (P) as their dominant function. It is interesting to note that the Introvert (I) and Extrovert (E) dimensions are equally distributed in the population.

The MBTI institute has published the following statistics for the percentage of the 8 MBTI functions:

E : 49.3%
I : 50.7%
S : 73.3%
N 26.7%
T : 40.2%
F : 59.8%
J : 54.1%
P : 45.9%

Following is the MBTI percentages of the general population according to the MBTI Institute:

ISTJ – 11.6%	ISFJ – 13.8%	INFJ – 1.5%	INTJ – 2.1%
ISTP – 5.4%	ISFP – 8.8%	INFP – 4.4%	INTP – 3.3%
ESTP – 4.3%	ESFP – 8.5%	ENFP – 8.1%	ENTP – 3.2%
ESTJ – 8.7%	ESFJ – 12%	ENFJ – 2.5 %	ENTJ – 1.8%

As you can see in the table above, the four rarest personality types include: INFJ, ENTJ, INTJ and INTP. The four most common personality types include: ISFJ, ESFJ, ISTJ and ESTJ.

MBTI Percentages based on Temperament:

The personality types can be categorised according to a shared temperament. Thus it is possible to group similar personality types together that makes classification easier.

SJ – The Protectors:

The personality types that constitute this group include: ESTJ, ESFJ, ISTJ, ISFJ. These personality types are observant, steady and motivated to maintain security for themselves and their loved ones. They are responsible, reliable and conscientious and usually make good leaders.

The MBTI percentage for SJs is 46.1% of the general population.

SP – The Creators:

The personality types that make up this group include: ESTP, ESFP, ISTP, ISFP. These personality types are sensation-driven. They are flexible and like to experiment. They are grounded in the present and sensitive to aesthetics.

The MBTI percentage for SPs is 27% of the general population.

NT – The Intellectuals:

The personality types that compose this category include: ENTJ, ENTP, INTP, INTJ. These personality types are highly logical and introspective people. They have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and are good at dealing with abstract as well as technical concepts.

The MBTI percentage for NTs is 10.4% of the general population.

NF – The Visionaries:

The personality types that are a part of this group include: ENFJ, ENFP, INFJ, INFP. These personality types are intuitive and introspective. They are idealistic and compassionate people who have a desire to make a meaningful difference in the world.

The MBTI percentage for NFs is 16.5% of the general population.

The Rarest Personality Type:

The rarest personality type on the MBTI, across the world, is INFJ (The Advocate). One reason for this could be that these personality types tend to be quiet and retiring. They are in tune with people’s feelings and have a good understanding of those around them.

Their combination of Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging functions makes them favour mingle with their environment rather than stand out. There may be more INFJ people in the population but they may not be easily noticed.

The MBTI percentage for INFJs is 1.5% of the general population.

Other rare personality types include: ESFJ, ENTJ, INTJ, ENTP, INTP.

The Most Common Personality Type:

The most common personality type on the MBTI is ISFJ (The Defender). They are orthodox and logical people. They prefer to follow rules and can usually be found in administrative set-ups.

The MBTI percentage for ISFJs is 13.8% of the general population. A majority of the people falling into this MBTI type are female. The MBTI percentage of male ISFJs is only 29% of the total ISFJ population.

Other common personality types include: INFP, ESFJ, ISTJ, ISFP, ESTJ.

MBTI Percentages based on Gender:

The percentage of each MBTI varies based on gender. Some personality types are more likely to be female and some are more likely to be male. A number of studies have been conducted that provide information about MBTI percentages.

One such study was by A.Hammer and W. Mitchell (1996) titled ‘The Distribution of MBTI Personality Types in the General Population’. It examined 1267 adults based on numerous socio-demographic factors.

Following are some of the findings about gender differences in MBTI prevalence:

The Rarest Female MBTI:

The MBTI with the smallest percentage in the female population is INTJ. This personality type is ambitious and bold and not afraid of marching to the beat of their own drummer. Because they are introverted and strategic, they prefer to work in the background rather than in the spotlight.

Female ENTJs are also rare. The MBTI percentage of female ENTJs is just 1.5% of the female population. They are bold, ambitious and strategic and thrive in careers in business and technology.

The small percentage of the INTJ and ENTJ MBTI in the female population may be because a majority of females prefer the Feeling over the Thinking function. This does not mean that females are completely disconnected from their Thinking function, but rather that they prefer to be guided by feelings on most occasions. Depending on the situation they are presented with, they will decide which function to rely on.

The Rarest Male MBTI:

The smallest MBTI percentage in the male population is that of INFJs. This personality type is gentle and in tune with their emotions. They are introverted and are superior in their abilities to empathise and tap into the feelings of others. This makes them very compassionate and good at engaging with people. Although they are idealistic, they are not inactive observers. They take action to make the world a better place.

Another personality type with a small percentage in the male population is ENFJ. Both ENFJs and INFJs are driven towards progress and change and are good at understanding people on an emotional level.

The small percentage of these two MBTI types (INFJ and ENFJ) in the male population may be attributed to the male preference for the Thinking function. This does not mean that men are not in tune with their Feeling function, it just means that they lean more towards Thinking.

Thus, most males let Thinking guide their decisions, whereas females prefer to let Feeling guide their decisions in most situations. Both males and females can benefit from honing the functions they don’t usually favour.

What it means to have a rare or common MBTI type:

When it comes to people with a rare personality type, it is likely that their unique talents and abilities are in great demand. However, because of the scarcity of people with this personality type, it can be difficult to find people they can relate to.

On the other hand, for people with a more common MBTI personality type, it is easy to find people who think and behave as they do. In this respect they find it easier to fit into society. But diversity is always beneficial. The rare personality types have a lot to teach the common types.

The MBTI percentages for the different personality types don’t necessarily indicate that one personality type is more special or better than another. Regardless of whether an MBTI personality type has a small or large percentage in the population, they all have something to teach each other.

Conclusion:

In this blog we examined the percentage of each MBTI type in the general population as well as in the male and female population. We also described the rarest and most common personality types based on their MBTI percentages. We also looked at the relative prevalence of the 8 MBTI functions.

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.

FAQ on ‘MBTI Percentages (A 6 Point Guide):

What is the rarest MBTI personality type?

The rarest personality type on the MBTI is INFJ. They make up on;y 1-3% of the population.

Why is INFJ so rare?

The reason INFJs are so rare could be because Sensing types are a lot more common in the population than Intuitive types. INFJs tend to blend into their surroundings and can be hard to identify.