The rarest blood type in the world is called Rhnull , often nicknamed “golden blood,” with only a few dozen people known to have it globally.

Rarest Blood Type in the World: Rhnull (“Golden Blood”)

Quick Scoop

If you’ve heard that AB negative is the rarest blood type, that’s only true among the common ABO + Rh types most blood banks talk about. In the deeper, more complex world of blood groups, the true champion of rarity is **Rhnull** , known as the **“golden blood type”**.

True rarest type: Rhnull (golden blood).
How rare? Fewer than 50 known people worldwide; estimates are about 1 in 6 million.
Nickname: “Golden blood” – not for its color, but for how precious it is for transfusions.
Among the usual 8 types: AB negative is the rarest standard ABO + Rh type, making up under 1% of people.

People once thought no one with Rhnull blood could survive to adulthood – today, a tiny number of adults with this ultra-rare type are known and carefully tracked.[1][3]

What Exactly Is Rhnull?

Most of us learn only about the eight common blood types: A, B, AB, and O, each either positive or negative. Behind that, there’s a whole network of blood group “systems,” and one of the most important is the **Rhesus (Rh) system**.

In the Rh system:

Red blood cells usually have multiple Rh antigens (proteins) on their surface.
“Rh positive” or “Rh negative” only describes the presence or absence of one of them: the D antigen.
Rhnull means all Rh antigens are missing – every single one.

So:

A typical “O negative” person: has no D antigen, but still has other Rh antigens.
An Rhnull person: has none of the Rh antigens at all.

That complete absence makes Rhnull biologically unusual and medically complicated.

Why Is Rhnull Called “Golden Blood”?

The “golden” nickname comes from how valuable this blood is in transfusion medicine, not from any special appearance or “superhuman” qualities.

Universal within rare Rh types: Because it lacks all Rh antigens, Rhnull blood can often be used for people who have extremely rare or complex Rh patterns that don’t match typical donors.
Incredibly scarce donors: Only a handful of active Rhnull donors exist worldwide, roughly under ten in some reports.
Global coordination: If an Rhnull patient needs blood, international networks may be activated to find and ship compatible units.

However, there is a twist:

Rhnull people can usually receive blood only from other Rhnull donors, which is what makes emergencies so risky.

It’s “golden” because it can save others with rare Rh patterns – but for the person who has it, it’s also a lifelong vulnerability.

Health Challenges for People With Rhnull

Having Rhnull doesn’t make someone stronger or weaker in everyday life by default, but it does come with some specific issues doctors pay attention to.

Fragile red cells: Rhnull red blood cells can be structurally abnormal and more fragile, which may lead to hemolytic anemia (red cells breaking down faster than normal).
Transfusion difficulty: In an accident or major surgery, finding compatible blood quickly is extremely hard.
Careful planning: Many Rhnull carriers are advised to wear medical alert identification and to work with specialized centers that can store frozen units, sometimes their own donations.

You can imagine the tension: one person’s blood is so rare it can rescue others with rare Rh profiles, yet that same rarity makes their own medical emergencies more dangerous.

How Rare Is It Compared to Other Blood Types?

When people ask “What is the rarest blood type in the world?”, they’re often thinking of the common ABO + Rh chart. Here’s how Rhnull stacks up against other types often called “rare.”

Common vs. rare types (overview)

Most common globally: O positive and A positive (exact percentages vary by region).
Rarest standard ABO + Rh type: AB negative, under 1% of people.
Ultra-rare special phenotypes: Rhnull and the Bombay phenotype are rare “behind-the-scenes” types not shown on basic donor cards.

HTML table: Rarest blood types and how rare they are

[5][7][1][3] [7][1][3] [3] [3] [1][3] [3] [3] [3]

Blood type / phenotype	Category	Estimated frequency	Key facts
Rhnull (“golden blood”)	Rh system phenotype	≈ 1 in 6,000,000 people; < 50 known cases worldwide.	Lacks all Rh antigens, can donate to many rare Rh patients, but can only receive Rhnull.
Bombay phenotype (hh)	ABO-related rare phenotype	About 4 per million globally; relatively more frequent in parts of India.	Lacks H antigen needed for A/B/O; often typed as O but can only receive Bombay blood.
AB negative	Standard ABO + Rh	< 1% of global population; about 1 in 167 in the U.S.	Rarest of the “eight common types,” can receive from all Rh-negative types but donate only to AB.
O negative	Standard ABO + Rh	Roughly 1–8% depending on ethnicity.	Known as “universal donor” for many emergency transfusions, though not universal in all rare antigen cases.

Is Rhnull in the News or Forums Lately?

Every so often, stories about “the world’s rarest blood type” or “golden blood” trend on health blogs and forums, especially when:

A case report or feature appears about someone living with Rhnull.
Blood banks highlight rare donor programs or emergency airlifts of rare units.
People discuss myths, such as “golden blood gives you special powers,” which are not supported by medical evidence.

In forum-style conversations, you often see posts like:

“I just learned about golden blood and now I’m wondering if I should find out if I have a rare type… even though I’m probably just O positive like everyone else.”

What’s real and grounded in current medical information is:

Rhnull is genuinely one of the rarest documented blood phenotypes on Earth.
It matters immensely for transfusion compatibility and for people who carry it.
For the average person, the most important thing is simply knowing their standard blood type and considering regular blood donation if they’re eligible.

Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

The true rarest blood type in the world is **Rhnull**, also called “golden blood.”
Fewer than about 50 people globally are known to have it, making it far rarer than AB negative.
Rhnull lacks all Rh antigens, which makes it extremely valuable for patients with rare Rh profiles but very risky for the people who have it because compatible donors are so scarce.
Among the common “eight” blood types, AB negative is the rarest, while O negative is widely prized as a near-universal donor type.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.

rarest blood type in the world