This document discusses blood types and their distribution in different racial and ethnic populations in the United States. It provides data on the percentage of Americans with the most common blood types (O+, O-, A+, etc.) and how the distribution varies between white, African American, Hispanic, and Asian ethnic groups. For example, O+ is the most common overall but Hispanic people have a relatively high percentage of O's while Asian people have a relatively high percentage of B's. The document also notes that blood type is inherited from one's parents and can sometimes provide a closer match for patients if the donor and recipient are from the same ethnic background.

1. Blood groups further classified as Rh-positive or Rh-negative are called blood types.
Blood is Rh-positive if the blood antigen labeled "D" is present and it is Rh-negative if
the "D" antigen is absent.
O+ is the most common blood type. Not all racial and ethnic groups have the same mix
of these blood types. Hispanic people, for example, have a relatively high number of O’s,
while Asian people have a relatively high number of B’s. The mix of the different blood
types in the U.S. population is:
BLOOD TYPES FOR AMERICANS
% of Americans Who Can Revieve This Blood
O+ = 37 O+, A+, B+, AB+
O- = 6 All blood types
A+ = 34 A+, AB+
A- = 6 A+, A–, AB+, AB–
B+ = 10 B+, AB+
B- = 2 B+, B–, AB+, AB–
AB + = 4 AB+
AB - = 1 AB+, AB-
Some patients require a closer blood match than that provided by the ABO +/- blood
typing. For example, sometimes if the donor and recipient are from the same racial or
ethnic background, the chance of a reaction can be reduced. That’s why an African-
American blood donation may be the best hope for the needs of patients with sickle cell
disease, 98% of whom are of African-American descent.
White African American Hispanic Asian
O + 37% 47% 53% 39%
O - 8% 4% 4% 1%
A + 33% 24% 29% 27%
A - 7% 2% 2% 0.5%
B + 9% 18% 9% 25%
B - 2% 1% 1% 0.4%
AB + 3% 4% 2% 7%
AB - 1% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1%

2. Blood Type Inheritance
It’s inherited...
Like eye color, blood type is passed genetically from parents to children. Whether your
blood type is A, B, AB or O, is based on the blood types of your mother and father.
Type O– blood is considered the “universal donor” because it can be donated to people of any blood
type. Type AB+ blood is considered the “universal recipient” because people with this type can
receive any blood type.
Did You Know?
• Blood type is inherited, just like eye color.
• Certain blood types are more common in certain countries. In China, over 99% of the
population has Rh+ blood.
• Different kinds of animals have different kinds of blood. Dogs have 4 blood types; cats have
11; cows have about 800.
• Some people think blood type tells about personality. Legend has it that Type A is calm and
trustworthy; Type B is creative and excitable; Type AB is thoughtful and emotional; and Type O
is a confident leader.
Parent 1 AB AB AB AB B A A O O O
Parent 2 AB B A O B B A B A O
Possible
blood
type
of
child
O X X X X X X
A X X X X X X X
B X X X X X X X
AB X X X X

3. • In Japan, the idea of blood type as personality type is so popular that Japanese ask “What's
your blood type?” about as often as Americans ask “What's your sign?”