B positive blood type

Your blood type is determined by genes inherited from your parents.

Whether your blood type is rare, common or somewhere in between, your donations are vital in helping save and improve lives.

How rare is B positive blood?

1 in 13 donors is B positive

This means only 8% of donors have B positive blood.

In total, 10% of people belong to blood group B, making it one of the least common blood groups.

Donor holds card that says "I'm blood type B positive"

Who can receive B positive blood?

B positive and AB positive people

B positive red blood cells can be given to people with:

  • B positive blood 
  • AB positive blood 

Diagram showing that B positive donors can donate to B positive and AB positive people

What blood can B positive people receive?

Blood from groups B and O

People with B positive blood can receive donations from:

  • B positive donors
  • B negative donors
  • O negative donors
  • O positive donors

Why is B positive blood important?

It helps treat sickle cell disorder

B positive is an important blood type for treating people with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia who need regular transfusions.

These conditions affect South Asian and Black communities where B positive blood is more common.

There is currently a very high demand for B positive donations with the subtype Ro.

Approximately 2% of donors have this rare subtype and we need more.

Find out why the Ro subtype is so important