Which Zodiac Sign Is The Rarest To Have?

The zodiac in Western astrology is commonly used for everything from determining which people are most compatible with one another in a relationship to looking up one's daily horoscope. The calendar year is divided up into twelve different signs, which are determined based on the position of the Sun on a given date. Therefore, everyone has a zodiac sign, even if they were born on the cusp of a zodiac sign. (If you need to find yours, Horoscope has them listed in calendar order.)

Looking at the twelve zodiac signs, though, it would be hard to say which one is the rarest at a glance. Figuring out which one of these signs is the least common means figuring out during which time period the fewest number of people are born. With the global population at eight billion people as of November 2022, per the United Nations, it sounds like a daunting task. Fortunately, there are some trends that give us a good indication without having to survey the entire world.

According to astrologer Lisa Stardust's comments to Reader's Digest, Aquarius is the rarest zodiac sign a person can have. Explained Stardust, "There are the least amount of births in January and February, making Aquarius the rarest zodiac sign." LiveWell backs up this claim with data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, writing that February is the least common birth month, while conceptions rise during the winter months.

The dates that fall under Aquarius are January 20 through February 18. The earlier dates in the month of January fall under Capricorn, while the later dates in the month of February fall under Pisces, which runs from February 19 to March 20.

Another possible reason for the rarity of February as a birth month is that it is shorter in length than the other 11 months of the year. At either 28 days or 29 days (during a leap year) in length, that's less of an opportunity to be an Aquarian.

Conversely, the most common zodiac sign that a person can have is harder to pin down, it seems. Per LiveWell, having a birthday in the summer and autumn months is more common in the United States, with August being mentioned as the most common birth month of all. Astrofame writes that Scorpio is the most common zodiac sign to have in the U.S., though the dates that fall under Scorpio are from late October to late November.

Assuming that August births are more common overall, Leos (July 23 to August 22) and Virgos (August 23 to September 22) are more common. Time writes that the most common birth month in the U.S. is September and that the most common birthday, specifically, is September 9, which would fall under Virgo.

It isn't clear, unfortunately, if the data from the U.S. hold true for the world at large.