Which human blood type and Rh factor are the rarest in the world. What is the rarest blood type in the world? What percentage of people have the Rh factor?

The choice of treatment methods for many diseases and the tactics of action during transfusion depend on the blood type. Many people undergo an analysis immediately after birth to determine it. What is the rarest blood type in humans and what makes it unique?

What determines the rarity of a group?

Each blood group has its own biochemical characteristics. When children are born, it can be determined immediately after birth - it depends on the blood types of the parents. By examining the biomaterial of mom and dad, you can predict the group of the future baby.

It is believed that blood affects various areas of life, food preferences, susceptibility to certain diseases, and the process of conception. Why is it important to know your group and its characteristics? The human body contains a lot of fluid and about 8% of the total body weight is blood. Doctors take this into account when carrying out any surgical intervention, because a loss of 2 liters can be fatal. The surgeon will not undertake even a minor manipulation without first knowing the characteristics of the patient’s blood.

Characteristics of blood groups:

1 negative or positive – the most common in the world;
2 negative, positive – occurs frequently, in second place according to world statistics;
3 negative, positive is less common than the previous ones;
Group 4 is the rarest.

The Rh factor also depends on parental characteristics that are inherited.

Currently, the most common on earth is the first. Its uniqueness lies in its versatility; it is suitable for donation to any person. This is explained by the absence of antigens on red blood cells.

The first group with a positive Rh factor can be transfused only to a similar patient, with a negative one - absolutely everyone. Such compatibility is valued in medical practice; people with the first group are often invited to become donors. But currently only single-type blood transfusions are allowed.

Interesting! Modern medicine in developed countries recognizes that blood transfusion is an unsafe method used in operations. This is due to the increased risk of the recipient contracting various infections (hepatitis, HIV). There are many alternative ways to avoid blood loss. However, transfusion is still widely used throughout the world.

People with the first group are prone to the following diseases:

ulcer;
cirrhosis of the liver;
skin diseases;
lung and breast cancer;
bronchial asthma;
allergies.

In Russia, this blood group, together with the second, is the most common; according to statistics, about 80% of the total population has them.

The rarest group

Blood type 4 is the rarest. Doctors explain that the reason for this is her late education; she arose later than the others. Today, no more than 3–7% of the world’s population has it. Its appearance was caused by the mixing of other groups, according to one theory.

The fourth is incompatible with the others, so the main difficulty lies in selecting a donor if necessary. Previously, when there was a need for urgent transfusion during an operation, it was necessary to resort to other groups. A person with blood type IV is a universal recipient.

Despite its low prevalence, blood, according to many doctors, has its own characteristics that make it unique:

a person is not stress-resistant, he may feel insecure, especially when faced with difficulties;
increased tendency to drug addiction, alcoholism, and other addictions;
increased coagulability, which provokes frequent occurrence of blood clots.

Knowledge of these features allows owners of group 4 to adapt to them, preventing problems from arising. It is especially recommended to monitor your diet, especially since it is easy to do, there are no strict restrictions.

Interesting! For comparison, owners of the second are not recommended to eat meat. Compared to this, the owners of the fourth group have it easy.

The basic principle of nutrition for owners of group 4 is a balanced diet; no special nutrition system is needed. Eating enough fresh vegetables and fruits will be a good prevention of various diseases. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is the tendency to be overweight, which is partly due to the sedentary lifestyle of the owners of group 4, so you will have to limit yourself in the volume of portions.

World distribution statistics

The ranking of owners of different blood groups in percentage has not changed for a long time; for more than a dozen years, the first place in ascending order is still in first place, and the fourth is in last place. Below is the detailed table:

Interesting! As for the prevalence of the Rh factor, 80% of the world's population is positive, the rest are negative.

The influence of rare and other types of blood on different areas

The question of determining one's blood type sooner or later arises before everyone. Some are content with only superficial knowledge. In fact, many areas of human life depend on it. Doctors advise expanding your knowledge about the characteristics of blood composition in the following areas:

Pregnancy. Blood characteristics affect a woman’s ability to conceive. Also, for a successful pregnancy, it is important to take into account the compatibility of both partners in the group and Rh factor.
Group of the unborn child. Geneticists have learned to recognize the characteristics of the blood of an unborn baby based on a study of parents. Family planning offices can provide such information with 98% reliability.
Stress resistance. Reaction to external stimuli also depends on the group. Those with the former recover longer in stressful situations due to their inherent increased production of adrenaline.
The number of antigens in the body. These substances are present not only in the blood itself, but also in the digestive system, in the mouth, in the lungs, and other organs.

Everyone needs to know their blood type, its characteristics, and features. The rarest is the fourth, it is possessed by no more than 7% of the entire world population. This is due to its recent emergence due to the mixing of other groups. You can determine the blood characteristics of a child immediately after birth and even before, based on the blood types of the parents.

There are many classifications that divide blood into groups. All are designed to target different antigens and antibodies—small particles that are either attached to the red blood cell membrane or float freely in the plasma.

The first experiments with blood transfusion most often ended in the death of the patient. The thing is that then people did not have the slightest idea about blood groups. Today, the most common classifications are the AB0 system and the Rh factor system.

According to the ABO system, blood is classified as follows:

0 – first;
A – second;
B – third;
AB is the fourth.

What determines the rarity of a blood group?

The rarity of blood groups, like many other features of our body, depends on natural selection. The fact is that throughout the entire two-million-year history of mankind, people have had to adapt to new conditions of existence.

The climate changed, new diseases appeared, and our blood developed with them. The oldest and most common group is the first. Scientists believe that it was she who was the original, and all the groups known today came from her.

Rare groups appeared much later, so they are not so common in the population.

Which group is the least common?

In the world, the leader in rarity is 4 negative blood group. Despite popular belief, 4 positive is approximately 3 times more common. There are more people with it than people with negative blood type 3.

Why is group 4 the least common?

The fact is that its very appearance can be considered a peculiar phenomenon. It combines the properties of two opposing blood types - A and B.

People with blood type 4 have a strong immune system that easily adapts to environmental conditions. By biological standards, this group is the most complex.

This type of blood appeared only a couple of thousand years ago. At the moment, it is the most in demand at any blood transfusion station, since there are still not many carriers of it.

The youngest and rarest group is the fourth

What blood is most common?

The most common blood is the first group (or zero according to the AB0 classification). The second is a little less common.

The third and fourth are considered rare. The total percentage of their carriers in the world does not exceed 13–15.

The most common types (1 and 2) arose at the dawn of mankind. Their carriers are considered the most susceptible to allergies of various origins, autoimmune processes and other diseases. Blood of this type has changed little over hundreds of thousands of years, so it is considered the least adapted to modern conditions.

The percentage of blood types is also determined by the Rh factor. Positive is much more common than negative. Even 1 negative group, which is the leader among negative blood types, occurs in 7% of people.

The distribution of blood groups also depends on race. A person of the Mongoloid race will have Rh positive blood in 99% of cases, while for Europeans, Rh positive is about 85%.

Europeans are the most common carriers of group 1, Africans are carriers of group 2, and group 3 is the most common among Asians.

Blood types: percentage prevalence

As statistics show, different types of blood vary greatly in prevalence in the world. People with type 0 can be found without much difficulty, and type AB blood is unique in its own way.

The following table will help you finally understand which groups are the most common and which are much less common:

Group and Rh factor	How common is
0+	40%
0-	7%
A+	34%
A-	6%
B+	8%
IN-	1%
AB+	3%
AB-	1%

Who should donate blood?

Medical sources say that it is always preferable to transfuse a person with blood of the exact group of which he is a carrier. Therefore, it is very important that blood banks have all types of blood.

The main rule of blood transfusion is that people with positive blood can be given negative blood. If done the other way around, the person who needs the transfusion will die. This is due to the biological characteristics of the antigen-antibody system.

Although type 1 is considered rare, its uniqueness lies in the fact that in emergency cases such people can be transfused with blood of any type, provided that the Rh factors are compatible. At the same time, other types of blood are not so universal.

Group AB can only be transfused to people with the same blood type.

No matter what kind of blood you have, by donating it you will help save a person’s life. The most expensive and sought after blood is Rh negative. If you are one of the 15% of people who carry it, be sure to think about the possibility of becoming a donor.

Periodic blood donation is not only charity, but also a way to improve the functional state of your hematopoietic system.

Video: The rarest blood type

Blood groups are important not only when transfusing blood from a donor to a recipient and when planning pregnancy. Scientists in the field of hematology have long identified a connection between the category of blood flow and a person’s lifestyle, nutrition and behavioral factors. It is known that each of the four blood groups was formed as a result of changes in the environment, nutritional structure, or due to interfaith marriages.

Depending on the predominance or paucity of a particular blood group, one can judge what is the rarest blood group?

How did the AB0 blood classification system come about?

Many people probably know that the classification of blood fluid into groups began only a century ago. This event occurred thanks to the scientific research of the Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner, who discovered differences in the blood of the patients he examined.
During his observations, he identified the main differences that allowed him to classify blood flow into three groups:
I (0)

The features of the blood substance were the absence, as in the case of the first blood group, or the presence of antigenic properties of red blood cells, as in the second and third categories. But years later, a colleague of the famous scientist discovers another group of the bloodstream with the presence of both types of antigens A and B. This category was also included in the AB0 system as the fourth type of bloodstream.

The process of evolution of blood substance

To figure out which blood group is the rarest, you will need to consider the sequence of changes in the bloodstream from the first to the fourth category. Initially, according to scientific researchers, all people had the first type of blood, in which erythrocyte antigen was completely absent. This race lived in conditions of disunity and survived, like many representatives of the animal world, by hunting.

After about 15-20,000 years ago, people switched to an alternative type of diet by taking up agriculture. Due to the change in diet to predominantly cereals, vegetables, fruits and berries, the composition of the bloodstream has changed, which now belongs to the second type. His behavioral style also underwent changes - from wild and aggressive he moved to more flexible and sociable.

But the rarest blood group in the world, the fourth, was formed largely as a result of a reaction to marital relationships mixed in groups. That is, as a result of the combination of the second “agricultural” and the third “nomadic, pastoral” categories of blood flow. The fourth type of blood substance is not only rare, its number is about 7% of all inhabitants of the planet. But it is also a mystery to scientists and doctors to this day due to its biological complexity. Partly because it combines the antigenic characteristics of red blood cells A and B. Researchers are still continuing to study this category of blood.

Features of the fourth blood flow group

It is generally accepted that the emergence of the rarest blood group in humans occurred only a thousand years ago as a result of incestuous marriages between the Indo-European and Mongoloid races. There is another version of the formation of the fourth variation of the blood flow. It lies in the fact that when humanity resolved all its everyday issues with shelter and food, people began to develop creative abilities. And this theory is not unfounded, because those who have the rare fourth blood category really stand out among their fellow tribesmen.

Rare personality traits of representatives of the fourth category:

pronounced creative abilities;
extraordinary spiritual organization;
sensitive perception of reality;
craving for everything beautiful;
developed intuition;
impeccable taste.

Carriers of the fourth type of blood flow are altruists, distinguished by kindness, compassion and selflessness. They take everything to heart and are always ready to help. But it is not only psychological qualities that group IV blood plasma is so remarkable for.

It is reliably known that it provides its owner with a special immunity, capable of exhibiting the properties of both types II and III blood flow, and less often unique ones.

The weak points of the fourth category of blood substance include the cardiovascular system; in addition, there is a risk of developing various oncological pathologies, “slow” infections and other abnormalities. In case of need for blood transfusion, this type stands out for its versatility. But you will need to take into account its compatibility with other types of blood fluid.

Compatibility table for 4 blood flow groups:

Group name	Recipient	Donor
AB (IV)	0 (I), A (II), B (III), AB (IV)	AB (IV)

As can be seen from the table, people with the rarest blood group - the fourth category of blood substance - are considered universal recipients, even if they themselves are capable of being donors only for people with the same group as theirs. Along with the type of blood, the Rh factor is also important, whether it is negative or positive. Therefore, if you answer the question what is the most exclusive category of blood flow, then the answer will be that this is the fourth group of blood substance, which has a negative Rh factor.

In contact with

A healthy person's blood type remains the same throughout his life, just like his fingerprints. Blood type is a kind of personal identifier that is passed on from parents to children. This is an integral feature of every person, which may not always have a beneficial effect on our health and even behavior. The question of blood type very often arises precisely when a person urgently needs a transfusion. It is at this moment that it is important to know how rare your blood is.

Scientists around the world have come to the conclusion that one of the most ancient blood groups is the first. In the process of evolution, changes in lifestyle, nutrition and environmental conditions, people gradually developed the blood types that we now know so well about.

How to find out a child's blood type?

To determine the child's blood type, you can use the table of the ratio of mother's and father's blood groups. To do this, you need to find the father's blood type in the top line, and the mother's in the left column. At the intersection of these cells you can see possible options. But only laboratory analysis can give an accurate result.

Characteristic

The rarity of a blood type is determined by the number of carriers of it in the world or in a particular country. You need to know that the blood group is determined by antigens found in red blood cells A-B, and in plasma by agglutinins a-b.

All rare blood groups (fourth negative, second negative and then first negative) are different in biochemical parameters, and each has its own individual characteristics.

Peculiarities

For a person with the fourth (the rarest group), absolutely any blood is suitable, but in this case it is necessary to take into account the Rh factor. When 4(-), you need to take any blood also with a negative Rh, and when 4(+), then with a positive one.

People with this rare blood type experience very strong emotional outbursts and increased creative activity. These are easily vulnerable people, requiring increased attention, with a good sense of humor.

The peculiarity of the third negative blood group is that it can only be obtained from a donor with the first or third group. These are calm and balanced people with excellent appetite, digestion and metabolism. This category of people does not have problems with excess weight, so they can consume any foods without restrictions.

The second negative and first negative blood groups are rare, but they are much more common than the third and fourth. Owners of these blood groups often have diseases of the blood vessels, heart, as well as stomach and pancreas. Vegetarian diets and physical activity are mandatory for these people.

Statistics

Statistics on the rarity of blood groups indicate that the rarest blood on Earth is the so-called In blood of this type, agglutinogens are not synthesized, and only blood of the same type can be transfused. Scientists discovered this phenomenon in India during the malaria epidemic, but there were very few people with this blood type and this phenomenon did not become widespread.

Percentage

Blood groups by rarity in percentage can be distributed as follows:

The smallest percentage (0.1%) has the Bombay phenomenon; this group has become widespread only in India.
The fourth negative group is 0.4%, most of whom are Europeans.
The next third negative blood type is only 1.5%; most people in Africa, Central Asia and Australia most often have this type.
The second (-) occurs in 3.5% of people.
The first (-) is for 4.3%. These blood types are found in different proportions in people in many regions.

Rarity and Rhesus

Blood groups by rarity and Rh differ from each other and have different indicators. Even if the blood types are the same, but the Rh factor is different, mixing these types of blood is not recommended. Otherwise it could be fatal.

Surprisingly, it is still unknown why all rare blood types are Rh negative.

Rating of rare blood groups

In second place is the 3(-) group, which is slightly inferior to the fourth, but is also very rare.

The third place is taken by 2(-) and the fourth, last place is given to 1(-).

Russian rating

Blood groups in terms of rarity in Russia differ in some way from the general ranking. In Russia, the most common rare blood group is the second negative, then the first and third blood groups. As in other countries of the world, the fourth negative is extremely rare, so the Russian ranking of rare blood groups is not quite similar to the global one.

Nowadays, science has gone far ahead; doctors and scientists are already able to combine completely different types of blood, both with negative and positive Rh factors. There has long been a practice in the world of donating and storing one’s own blood, especially if a person has a rare type, so you should not rely on scientific achievements and should stock up on your own blood just in case, no matter how funny it may sound.

There are blood banks in almost every country and Russia is no exception; you just need to donate blood, put it in storage and try to make sure it is not needed.

Many people believe that carriers of rare blood groups have some kind of extraordinary or even supernatural abilities. Unfortunately, this is not so, there are no “Batmen” or “Superman” among them, they are all quite ordinary people.

The rarest blood type

Thus, it turns out that the rarest blood group is the fourth negative. Only 0.4% of the world's population has it. This means that out of 200 thousand people, only 1 has a fourth blood group. If we talk about the fourth positive, then it is more frequent than negative. About 5% of the world's population has it. In some individual countries, this figure may increase, for example, in countries such as Turkey, Israel, China, Finland, the percentage is 7. In addition to the fourth blood group, there are also rare third, second and first negative blood types.

Bombay phenomenon

This phenomenon was discovered back in the last century in 1952. One of the residents of Mumbai had a very rare blood group, in which antibodies A and B were absent, but antigen H was present. This phenomenon occurs in 0.0001% of people in the world, and in India - in 0.01%.

Since there are many rare blood groups in the world, they do not directly cause any harm to the health of the carrier. But at the same time, difficulties may arise if a blood transfusion is necessary. It will be very difficult to find the same person who has the rarest blood type, so in such cases, the best option would be to periodically donate blood for yourself, which will be stored in a blood bank.

There are 4 human blood groups. It should be noted that their frequency of occurrence varies. Determination of its type is carried out quite often (before various operations, before childbirth, a person liable for military service, a newborn, and so on). It is very important to accurately determine the type and Rh factor during blood transfusion and organ transplantation.

What is the rarest blood type in humans? How long ago did it appear and how was it formed? What are the rules for transfusion of a rare form of biomaterial and what is the “Bombay Phenomenon”? You will learn about this and much more in our article.

Types of blood groups and Rh factor: statistics

In people from different countries of the world, the first 2 blood types are more often determined, but the remaining 2 are less common. Percentage of these indicators:

About 45% of the world's population has group I (0). It has existed longer than the others and is the most common;
Approximately 35% of people have II (A);
15% of people with III (B) group. It, like II, appeared under the influence of external (for example, climate change) and internal (severe infections) environmental factors on humans;
About 5% of humanity has the rare IV (AB) blood form. This is the rarest blood in the world.

In addition to the group, this biomaterial also differs in the Rh factor. It can be positive (Rh+) or negative (Rh-).

A positive Rh factor is much more common (about 80%) than a negative one (about 20%).

The least common combination is IV (Rh-). People with this combination range from 0.5 to 1%.

The theory of the origin of the rarest fourth group

If the oldest is I, then the youngest is the rarest group - IV. II and III arose when the human body was exposed to various unfavorable factors. Thus, the body adapted to changing living conditions. To understand how the IV form of blood arose, it is necessary to consider the entire path of formation, starting with I.

How the biomaterial was divided into types:

(I) is the blood of a primitive man-hunter, a man-predator. It was determined by the predominance of meat in the diet;
(II) – the blood of the farmer. Its occurrence is associated with human migration in search of food. The diet is changing, plant foods predominate on the menu. Geographically, it originated in Asia;
(III) – the blood of a nomadic pastoralist. A person finds himself in harsh external conditions, his nutrition becomes meager (mainly dairy products). Holders of such blood fluid have historically had strong immunity;
(IV) appeared less than 1000 years ago. Its occurrence is not associated with external influences. It arose relatively recently, when population migration from Asia to Europe and back began. The biomaterial of this group arose as a result of the formation of mixed families between Europeans and Asians. This type combines the features of forms II and III. This is now the rarest form.

There are 2 more theories about the origin of the rarest type of blood:

Its occurrence under the influence of dangerous, deadly viruses on humans;
Changes and complexity of food (different methods of cooking) contributed to the production of antigens A and B.

AB inheritance occurs from carrier parents:

If both parents have group AB, then the probability of inheritance is no higher than 50%;
If only 1 parent has form IV, then the probability of inheritance does not exceed 25%.

Rare blood transfusion rules

Hemotransfusion is a blood transfusion. This manipulation is carried out to compensate for massive blood loss. Donor is the person from whom the material for transfusion is taken. Recipient is the person receiving the blood transfusion. How is transfusion carried out in patients with form IV?

In order to perform a blood transfusion without life-threatening consequences, it is necessary to accurately determine not only the group affiliation, but also the Rh factor.

During a transfusion, the blood of the donor and recipient must match in all respects. If this condition is not met, then sedimentation and destruction of red blood cells will occur. A person may die from acute respiratory failure.

Features of blood transfusion for a recipient with type IV biomaterial

If it is necessary to perform a blood transfusion for a person with the AB form, then the Rh factor must be determined. It is this sign that is decisive in this situation.

To whom can blood of the fourth type be transfused?

A person with blood group IV can only be a donor for recipients with the same form. However, in this case there are certain conditions that must be observed:

It should be noted that currently, for blood transfusions, they try to use only the donor and recipient group of the same name, with the same Rh.

Bombay phenomenon

Officially there are 4 blood groups. However, in 1952 in India, in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai), the 5th species was discovered. In this case, agglutinogens (substances located on the membranes of red blood cells) that are not characteristic of the type of parental biomaterial are determined in the biomaterial. This discovery was called the Bombay Phenomenon.

The Bombay phenomenon can manifest itself in the following cases:

The parents have group I, and the children have group III;
For parents - I and III, and for children - II or IV.

The “Bombay phenomenon” is extremely rare, occurring in 1 case per 250,000 people, which is about 0.0001%. However, in India this phenomenon is slightly more common, 1 case in 8000 people, about 0.001%.

It should also be noted that people with this phenomenon may have difficulties with blood transfusion. The fact is that in this case a donor with exactly the same rare and unusual blood is required.