No, O+ blood type is not rare. In fact, it's the most common blood type.
Several sources confirm this:
- The Red Cross: States that O+ is the most frequently occurring blood type, accounting for 37% of the population.1, 2
- NHS Blood Donation: Reports O+ as comprising 35% of the population.3
- Lifeblood: Shows O+ as making up 38% of the population.10
These variations in percentages are likely due to differences in population samples and methodologies used in the studies. Regardless of the precise percentage, the consensus is clear: O+ is the most prevalent blood type, far from being rare. The high prevalence explains the high demand for O+ blood. Conversely, O- blood, while crucial as a universal red cell donor, is far less common, representing only around 7% of the population.1, 2, 10 Other blood types like AB- are significantly rarer, at approximately 1%.4, 9 The rarest of all is Rhnull, present in only about 1 in 6 million people.5
In contrast to the rarity of AB- or Rhnull, O+ is a common blood type found in a substantial portion of the global population.
1 https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/blood-types.html
2 Reference provided in the prompt.
3 https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/why-give-blood/blood-types/
4 https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/why-give-blood/demand-for-different-blood-types/rare-blood-types/
5 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326279
6 https://www.science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/rare-blood-types
7 https://stanfordbloodcenter.org/donate-blood/blood-donation-facts/blood-types/
8 https://versiti.org/ways-to-give/about-blood-donation/blood-types-explained/rare-blood-types
9 https://www.blood.ca/en/blood/donating-blood/what-my-blood-type
10 https://www.lifeblood.com.au/blood/learn-about-blood/blood-types
