Quick answer
In the most widely cited US data, ISFJ is the most common MBTI type for women, at about 19.4%, or nearly one woman in five. ESFJ (about 16.9%) and ESFP (about 10.1%) come next. For men, the most common type is ISTJ at about 16.4%, followed by ESTJ (about 11.2%) and ISTP (about 8.5%).
The rarest types for women are INTJ (about 0.8%) and ENTJ (about 0.9%). For men, the rarest are INFJ (about 1.3%) and ENFJ (about 1.6%).
These figures come from US samples published with the MBTI Manual and repeated by the official publisher. They’re old and US-only, and they use only “male” and “female” categories. Read them as broad patterns, not precise counts.
MBTI type frequencies for men and women
| Type | Women | Men | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISFJ | 19.4% | 8.1% | 13.8% |
| ESFJ | 16.9% | 7.5% | 12.3% |
| ESFP | 10.1% | 6.9% | 8.5% |
| ISFP | 9.9% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| ENFP | 9.7% | 6.4% | 8.1% |
| ISTJ | 6.9% | 16.4% | 11.6% |
| ESTJ | 6.3% | 11.2% | 8.7% |
| INFP | 4.6% | 4.1% | 4.4% |
| ENFJ | 3.3% | 1.6% | 2.5% |
| ESTP | 3.0% | 5.6% | 4.3% |
| ENTP | 2.4% | 4.0% | 3.2% |
| ISTP | 2.3% | 8.5% | 5.4% |
| INTP | 1.7% | 4.8% | 3.3% |
| INFJ | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| ENTJ | 0.9% | 2.7% | 1.8% |
| INTJ | 0.8% | 3.3% | 2.1% |
The table is sorted by how common each type is among women. Some reprints give slightly different decimals (for example 1.2% for male INFJs or 0.9% for female INTJs) because of rounding and source differences. For the combined ranking of all 16 types, see our full list of MBTI types by percentage of the population.
The most common MBTI types for women
- ISFJ (about 19.4%): caring, loyal and practical. It’s the most common type for any gender in this data.
- ESFJ (about 16.9%): warm, sociable and organized.
- ESFP (about 10.1%): lively, spontaneous and people-focused.
- ISFP (about 9.9%): gentle, independent and attuned to the senses.
- ENFP (about 9.7%): enthusiastic, imaginative and expressive.
All five of these types prefer Feeling, and four of them prefer Sensing. Together they make up about two-thirds of women in the sample.
The rarest MBTI types for women
- INTJ (about 0.8%)
- ENTJ (about 0.9%)
- INFJ (about 1.6%)
- INTP (about 1.7%)
- ISTP (about 2.3%)
INTJ and ENTJ are each under 1%, so roughly one woman in a hundred or fewer has either type. Four of the five rarest types for women prefer Thinking, and INFJ is the exception: it’s rare overall because it combines Introversion and Intuition with Judging.
The most common MBTI types for men
- ISTJ (about 16.4%): dependable, methodical and duty-focused.
- ESTJ (about 11.2%): organized, direct and comfortable taking charge.
- ISTP (about 8.5%): practical, calm and hands-on.
- ISFJ (about 8.1%): steady, considerate and detail-minded.
- ISFP (about 7.6%): easygoing, private and sensory.
Sensing types dominate the top of the men’s list as well. The top three are all Thinking types.
The rarest MBTI types for men
- INFJ (about 1.3%)
- ENFJ (about 1.6%)
- ENTJ (about 2.7%)
- INTJ (about 3.3%)
- ENTP (about 4.0%)
The two rarest types for men are both Intuitive–Feeling–Judging types. The male INFJ is often called the rarest type-gender combination after the female INTJ and ENTJ.
The biggest gender gaps
Some types turn up at similar rates in both groups. INFP (4.6% vs. 4.1%) and INFJ (1.6% vs. 1.3%) are fairly even. Others are lopsided:
- More common in women: ISFJ (about 2.4 times as common), ESFJ (about 2.3 times) and ENFJ (about 2 times).
- More common in men: INTJ (about 4 times), ISTP (about 3.7 times), ENTJ (about 3 times) and INTP (about 2.8 times).
The INTJ ratio is especially striking, but small percentages exaggerate ratios. The difference is 3.3% of men vs. 0.8% of women, which is a gap of 2.5 percentage points.
The Thinking–Feeling divide explains most of it
Adding up the table one letter at a time shows where the gap comes from:
- About 56.5% of men in the sample prefer Thinking.
- About 75.5% of women prefer Feeling.
The other three preference pairs (E/I, S/N, J/P) are much closer between genders. Nearly every large gap in the table above comes from the T/F letter. Thinking types are pulled down among women, and Feeling types are pulled down among men.
Why do these differences exist?
Researchers don’t fully agree. The main explanations people suggest are:
- Real average differences in traits. Big Five research has found modest average differences between men and women. Women tend to score somewhat higher on agreeableness, which overlaps with the MBTI Feeling preference. These are average differences across large groups, with a lot of overlap between individuals.
- Socialization. Many cultures encourage girls to prioritize harmony and other people’s feelings and encourage boys to value detachment and logic. Those expectations can shape both behavior and how people describe themselves.
- How people answer the questions. The MBTI is a self-report questionnaire. People may answer in ways that match how they see themselves, or how they think they should be, given gender expectations.
- Test design and scoring. Over the years the publisher has adjusted some scoring by gender to reduce item bias. Results from different test versions and samples aren’t perfectly comparable.
Being a “rare for your gender” type
Female INTJs, female ENTJs and male INFJs often describe a particular experience: feeling that their natural style doesn’t fit what people expect from their gender. A woman who prefers blunt, impersonal analysis may be called “cold.” A man who leads with empathy may be called “too sensitive.”
If that sounds like you, a few points may help:
- A preference is not a deficiency. Thinking women can be warm and caring, and Feeling men can be logical and decisive. The letters describe what you lean toward first, not what you’re able to do.
- Context changes the odds. Rare types are often much more common in particular fields. Thinking–Intuitive women may find more people like them in technical or strategic roles, and Feeling–Intuitive men in counseling, teaching or the arts.
- Your best-fit type matters more than the statistics. If gender expectations shaped how you answered a test, the result might not reflect your natural preferences. Our article on whether your MBTI type can change covers how mistyping happens.
Limits of the data
- US only. The distribution may look different in other countries.
- Decades old. The samples behind the most-cited tables were mostly collected in the 1990s or earlier.
- Binary categories. The data reports only male and female. It doesn’t tell us about nonbinary people or anything more detailed about gender identity.
- Self-report. The figures describe how people answered the MBTI, not anything measured biologically.
FAQ
What is the most common MBTI type for females?
ISFJ, at about 19.4% of women in the published US data. ESFJ is close behind at about 16.9%.
What is the rarest MBTI for girls and women?
INTJ (about 0.8%) and ENTJ (about 0.9%) are the rarest for women. Some sources list ENTJ first because of rounding differences.
What is the most common MBTI type for males?
ISTJ, at about 16.4% of men, followed by ESTJ at about 11.2%.
What is the rarest MBTI type for men?
INFJ, at roughly 1.2–1.3% of men depending on the source, followed by ENFJ at about 1.6%.
Are men really more logical and women more emotional?
No. The data shows preferences in how people describe their decision-making, and both genders vary a lot. Plenty of men prefer Feeling and plenty of women prefer Thinking, and every type includes people of every gender.