Blood Type Frequency
Although all blood is made of the same basic elements, not all blood is alike. In fact, there are eight different common blood types, which are determined by the presence or absence of certain antigens – substances that can trigger an immune response if they are foreign to the body.
Since some antigens can trigger a patient's immune system to attack the transfused blood, safe blood transfusions depend on careful blood typing and cross-matching.
Here is a table depicting the frequency at which each blood type appears:
| Blood Type and Rh |
United States Frequency |
% of U.S. Population |
| O+ |
1 in 3 |
37.4% |
| O- |
1 in 15 |
6.6% |
| A+ |
1 in 3 |
35.7% |
| A- |
1 in 6 |
6.3% |
| B+ |
1 in 12 |
8.5% |
| B- |
1 in 67 |
1.5% |
| AB+ |
1 in 29 |
3.4% |
| AB- |
1 in 167 |
0.6% |
Source: http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types