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Myers-Briggs Rarest Types: INFJ, INTJ and ENTP Explained

other · 2026-10-21

Quartz explores the three rarest Myers-Briggs Type Indicator profiles, each representing one to three percent of the population. The INFJ type, the most uncommon at one to two percent, blends introversion, intuition, feeling, and judging, making it ideal for roles in counseling and nonprofit leadership. INTJ, also at one to two percent, combines introversion, intuition, thinking, and judging, which suits engineering and executive positions. The ENTP type, comprising two to three percent, is characterized as an extraverted debater, excelling in entrepreneurship and media. Notable figures like Carl Jung (often considered an INFJ), Eleanor Roosevelt, Isaac Newton, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, and Richard Feynman represent these types. Twin studies suggest that genetics account for 40 to 60 percent of personality differences, while psychologists critique MBTI for its rigid classifications.

Key facts

  • INFJ is estimated at one to two percent of the population, the rarest of the 16 Myers-Briggs types
  • INTJ is estimated at one to two percent and pairs abstract thinking with disciplined follow-through
  • ENTP accounts for roughly two to three percent and is nicknamed the debater
  • Carl Jung's theory of psychological types gave Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers the foundation for the MBTI
  • Twin studies estimate genetic factors explain 40 to 60 percent of differences in major personality traits
  • Eleanor Roosevelt, Isaac Newton, Jane Austen, Mark Twain and Richard Feynman are frequently cited as likely examples of these types
  • The Big Five model scores traits on a continuum and has stronger research support than the MBTI's fixed categories
  • Evolutionary pressure favored sociability and present-focused thinking for group cohesion over abstract planning

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