Blood types
What blood types are there, how common are they, and which blood types can be donated to which patients?
What determines your blood type?
Blood types are structures (proteins or sugars) on the surface of red blood cells, which are not the same for everyone.
The ABO blood group system is determined by a sugar structure on your red blood cells. One type of sugar structure gives you blood type A, another gives you blood type B. If these sugar structures are absent, you have blood type O. If you have both sugar structures on your red cells, you have blood type AB.
In addition to the ABO system, another important blood group for transfusions is the RhD blood group (Rhesus D), formerly known as the rhesus factor. If this group is present on your red blood cells, you are RhD positive. If it is absent, you are RhD negative. For example, if you have both blood type A and RhD on your red cells, you are A RhD positive—commonly referred to as A positive.
More about blood types
Which blood group is most common?
In the Netherlands, most people have blood group O-positive. 38.2% of Dutch people have this blood group.
What is the rarest blood group?
Blood group AB-negative is the least common in the Netherlands. 0.5% of Dutch people have this blood group.
What blood types are there and how common are they?
There are hundreds of different blood types, but there are 8 that are most important for blood transfusion:
- Blood type A-positive (36.6% of the Dutch population)
- Blood type A-negative (6.4% of the Dutch population)
- Blood type AB-positive (2.5% of the Dutch population)
- Blood type AB-negative (0.5% of the Dutch population)
- Blood type O-positive (38.2% of the Dutch population)
- Blood type O-negative (6.8% of the Dutch population)
- Blood type B-positive (7.7% of the Dutch population)
- Blood type B-negative (1.3% of the Dutch population)