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What is the rarest blood type?

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Of the eight main blood types, AB negative is the rarest in the US: under one percent of people. O positive is the most common, over a third.

Beyond those eight, the rarest in the world is Rh-null, "golden blood": fewer than fifty people are known. Rare blood is hard to match, so blood banks always need donors, and how rare a type is depends on ancestry. Next: what happens 30 days after you quit smoking?

About this film

A 27-second widescreen (16:9) explainer film, made in the Mid-century cartoon style, published on 23 October 2026.

AB negative is the rarest of the eight main types in the US, but the world's rarest blood, Rh-null or golden blood, sits beyond the eight; rare blood is hard to match, and rarity depends on ancestry.

The style: Mid-century cartoon. 1950s limited animation: sparse, witty, off-register colour.

Scene by scene

0:00A tomato blood drop searches with a magnifying glass: which type is rarest?
0:01Eight type cards: AB− lights up (under 1% in the US), then O+ grows gold (over 1 in 3)
0:09Beyond the eight: the golden drop, Rh-null, fewer than 50 known
0:14Rare blood is hard to match: two drops fail to click, the bag fills — donors needed
0:17Verdict: rarity depends on ancestry — three families, three different types
0:20End card: next film — 30 days smoke-free

Transcript

What is the rarest blood type? Of the eight main types, AB negative is rarest in the US: under one percent. O positive is the most common: over a third. Beyond those eight, the world's rarest: Rh-null, golden blood. Fewer than fifty known. Rare blood is hard to match, so blood banks always need donors. Verdict: how rare a type is depends on ancestry.

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