What Is the Rarest Personality Type: Enneagram, MBTI & More

The rarest personality type for women and men in the Enneagram system is Type 5, also known as the Investigator, whereas INFJ is the most uncommon MBTI type. However, the rarity of your personality type varies by gender, culture, and other factors as well.

In this article, we’ll dissect the question, “What is the rarest personality type?” and explore the most uncommon types and traits across different personality models. We’ll also share a list of famous people belonging to these types to give you a better idea of what these rare personalities look like in real life.

What Is the Rarest Enneagram Type?

The rarest Enneagram type is Type 5, as these individuals are thought to make up roughly 5% of the world’s population. This personality type is especially rare in women. According to most online statistics, around 7% of men belong to it, and only 3% of the female population identify as Investigators.

Highly private and independent, the Enneagram 5 possesses many uncommon personality traits, including emotional detachment and intellectual curiosity. These cerebral individuals value competence over connection, which might be precisely what makes them so rare.

Case Western Reserve University researchers suggest that the need to belong is a fundamental motivation behind people’s behavior; however, Type Five primarily seeks knowledge, rather than interpersonal attachment. Ultimately, what makes this a rare psychological type is the tendency to find self-sufficiency more rewarding than belonging.

Meanwhile, the second-rarest personality type in the Enneagram system isType Eight, known as the Challenger. Most internet statistics suggest that Eights form about 6% of the world’s population. Again, this type is more common among men; Challengers account for about 8% and 6% of the male and female populations, respectively.

The fact that this Enneagram type exhibits many personality traits unique to men (or, rather, socially acceptable in men) might explain its rarity in women. Eights are determined, confident, and bold individuals with strong boundaries, as they strive to remain in control of their lives. They fear vulnerability and rarely, if ever, let others see their sensitive side.

Although this is among the rarest personality types, Type Eight is fairly common in high-authority roles due to its innate ambition, assertiveness, and decisiveness.

Like Fives, Eights are highly independent; they value autonomy over social bonding. Instead of seeking connection, Fives detach from others, whereas Eights resist them, which explains why both of these types are very rare.

What Is the Rarest MBTI Personality Type?

The rarest MBTI type is INFJ, which stands for Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, and Judging. INFJs are extremely rare; they are thought to make up only around 1–3% of the global population.

This personality type is more common among women, with estimates indicating it accounts for 1.6–4% of the female population. Male INFJs are especially rare; most internet statistics show that just above 1% of men belong to this type.

INFJs are deeply insightful, idealistic, and introspective. Although sensitive, they are emotionally reserved. Despite being a feeling type, they can be quite pragmatic and logical due to the combination of their cognitive functions. These functions, or, rather, their dominant introverted intuition (Ni), likely explain their rarity.

Introverted intuition, an information-gathering function concerned with hidden patterns, symbols, meanings, and the future, allows INFJs to process the world in an abstract way. Most people, however, rely on more concrete, tangible information.

This is also the dominant cognitive function of INTJ, the thinking counterpart of INFJ, and the second-rarest personality type in the MBTI framework. While INTJs are also perceptive and insightful, they aren’t nearly as sensitive as INFJs. These individuals are determined to reach their goals and bring their visions to reality.

INTJs account for around 2–4% of the world’s population. Only around 1–3% of women and 2–6% of men identify with this type. Some online statistics, however, consider ENTJ as the second-rarest MBTI personality type. In any case, intuitive-judging (NJ) personalities, all of which use Ni as their dominant or auxiliary function, are generally the least common.

Interestingly, a study by Varastehnezhad et al. suggests that both introverted intuition and intuitive personalities are significantly more prevalent in technology-related fields than in the general population. Therefore, context plays a key role if you’re looking to get an accurate answer to the question, “What is the rarest personality type?”

What Is the Rarest Big Five Combination?

The rarest Big Five combinations are those that include extreme scores across several traits.

Unlike the Enneagram or MBTI, the Big Five model doesn’t assign specific personality types; instead, it assesses five traits: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extroversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience. These exist on a spectrum, with most people falling somewhere closer to the middle rather than at the far ends of each continuum.

While scoring very low or very high on a single trait is uncommon, the rarest personality combinations in this framework are those with multiple extreme scores. Some of these combinations are statistically less likely than others.

For instance, it’s unusual to see very high neuroticism paired with very high extroversion. This is because high levels of extroversion are typically associated with excitement-seeking, gregariousness, positive emotions, and assertiveness, whereas high neuroticism indicates anxiety and proneness to stress and pessimism.

Similarly, people with high neuroticism scores rarely display extremely high openness to experience because they are less likely to enjoy novelty. The latter trait is also uncommon among highly conscientious people. This is because conscientiousness indicates a preference for structure, planning, and organization, whereas openness to experience signals a disdain for routine.

Ultimately, the more extreme the scores across all traits, the rarer the Big Five profile; the most uncommon profiles are those with high levels of conflicting traits.

Since you now know what the rarest personality type is across the Enneagram, MBTI, and Big Five frameworks, it’s time to find out what determines its rarity.

What Determines How Rare a Personality Type Is?

The main factors that determine how rare a personality type is include genetics, environmental influences, and cultural norms and expectations.

Let’s dissect each of these factors:

#1. Genetics

Genetics may influence how rare your personality is, as some personality traits, though not all, can be inherited.

A study by Power and Pluess shows that neuroticism and openness to experience, in particular, exhibit significant heritability. Furthermore, Karolinska Institutet researchers found that some personality patterns differ between men and women, and that about a third of this difference is attributable to genetics.

Therefore, you may inherit some rare traits (e.g., very high levels of neuroticism), leading you to develop a statistically rare personality. Furthermore, some of these traits may be more common in the opposite sex, resulting in a rare personality type for your gender.

#2. Environmental Influence

Your environment also determines how rare your personality is, as certain personality types are more common in specific settings.

For example, highly analytical and independent personalities, such as INTJs or Enneagram Fives, are rare in the general population. However, these traits are useful in scientific or technical fields, and many people belonging to these rare types gravitate toward them.

As a result, rare personality types may be overrepresented in certain environments, whereas more common types (e.g., ISFJ or Enneagram 9) may be underrepresented. Therefore, the rarity of your personality type can vary drastically depending on context.

#3. Cultural Norms & Expectations

Cultural norms and expectations play a major role in determining how rare a personality type is, as different cultures encourage different traits and behaviors. A study by Paulo Rocha found a substantial link between the Big Five personality traits and cultural dimensions, including individualism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance.

For example, high conscientiousness and low openness to experience are common in countries like India and China, which place a high value on social hierarchy and conformity. These traditional, hierarchical societies also score high on power distance.

Therefore, if you exhibit traits that are uncommon or discouraged in your country (e.g., if you come from India but have low conscientiousness and high openness to experience), your personality type may be rare within its population.

Now that you know what the rarest personality type is and what influences its rarity, let’s see some examples of famous people with uncommon personalities.

27 Famous Examples of Rare Personality Types

Although some personalities are less common than others, there’s no shortage of famous people with rare personality type combinations.

Below are 10 famous people with the INFJ 5w4 personality type:

1. Al Pacino, American actor known for intense performances
2. Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist who founded the school of analytical psychology
3. Will Poulter, English actor
4. Jimmy Page, English musician, guitarist, and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin
5. Michael Gira, American singer-songwriter, composer, author, artist, and founder of the experimental rock band Swans
6. Rooney Mara, American actress
7. Tilda Swinton, British actress known for transformative performances
8. Alan Rickman, English actor
9. Jordan Peterson, Canadian psychologist, media commentator, and actor
10. Emily Dickinson, American poet

And here are 7 famous INTJ 5w4s you may know:

1. Judy Davis, Australian actress praised for her versatility
2. Alan Moore, English comics creator
3. Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-American actress and inventor
4. Trent Reznor, American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer who founded the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails
5. Lil Ugly Mane, American musician, rapper, and record producer
6. Stanley Kubrick, American filmmaker and photographer, widely regarded as one of the most influential movie directors of all time
7. Maynard James Keenan, American musician best known as the lead singer of the rock bands Tool, Puscifer, and A Perfect Circle

Lastly, the most notable examples of famous people with the INTJ 5w6 personality type include:

1. Elon Musk, South African-Canadian-American businessman and entrepreneur
2. Jodie Foster, American actress and filmmaker
3. Ashley Olsen, American businesswoman, fashion designer, and former actress
4. Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, inventor, and author
5. David Fincher, American film director
6. Jerry Cantrell, American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known for founding the rock band Alice in Chains
7. Cillian Murphy, Irish actor and film producer
8. Mark Zuckerberg, American businessman and co-founder of Facebook
9. Stephen Hawking, English theoretical astrophysicist
10. Christopher Nolan, British-American filmmaker

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Key Takeaways

Ultimately, the answer to the question, “What is the rarest personality type?” largely depends on context, as certain personalities are more common in certain cultures, professional fields, and demographics.

Before you go, let’s summarize what we’ve learned:

• The rarest Enneagram personality types are Type 5 and Type 8, both of which are highly autonomous.
• Intuitive-judging personalities (like INFJs, INTJs, and ENTJs) are the least common within the MBTI framework.
• Genetics, environment, and cultural norms are the key factors that determine the rarity of your personality type.

What Is the Rarest Personality Type FAQ

#1. What are the top 3 rarest personality types?

The top 3 rarest personality types in the Enneagram system are Type 5, Type 8, andType 2. While the first two are highly independent, Type 2 differs in that it has an intense desire to be loved; belonging is even more important to them than to most people. Although this makes them helpful and kind, they can sometimes struggle with people-pleasing because of this.

#2. Can your personality type change over time?

Your personality type cannot change over time, at least within the Enneagram framework. This is because your fears and motivations remain consistent throughout life. However, you may develop different preferences, adopt different coping mechanisms, or evolve in other ways, which may change your personality but not your core Enneatype.

#3. What does it mean to have a rare personality?

Having a rare personality means that your personality traits, preferences, and thinking patterns aren’t common in the general population. While this can make you unique and give you an unconventional outlook on life, having a rare personality type can also make you feel different or misunderstood.