Where ISFJs (Defenders) Stand Out

A scene depicting the ISFJ personality type (Defender). A female ISFJ and a man are providing medical aid to fantasy creatures. They’re standing and handing out medical supplies to a line of various mythical beings seeking assistance, including a witch, a Frankenstein monster, and a werewolf. This scene emphasizes the ISFJ’s role as a compassionate caregiver even in an unusual setting.

ISFJs (Defenders) make up 4.0% of test results in the average country, but their share varies from place to place. Here’s where they’re most and least common.

ISFJs by country

Colors compare each country’s share of ISFJs with the average country, where it’s 4.0%.

ISFJs by country
Country	How common
Singapore	7.7% (91% more common)
Thailand	7.5% (87% more common)
Taiwan	7.5% (86% more common)
China	7.1% (77% more common)
Japan	7.0% (73% more common)
Malaysia	6.5% (60% more common)
Macao	6.4% (58% more common)
Hong Kong	6.2% (54% more common)
Brunei	6.2% (53% more common)
Finland	5.8% (45% more common)
South Korea	5.8% (45% more common)
Norway	5.8% (43% more common)
New Zealand	5.7% (42% more common)
South Africa	5.6% (40% more common)
Laos	5.6% (39% more common)
Australia	5.6% (38% more common)
Bhutan	5.4% (35% more common)
Sweden	5.4% (33% more common)
Slovakia	5.2% (30% more common)
Trinidad and Tobago	5.2% (30% more common)
Belgium	5.2% (30% more common)
Canada	5.2% (29% more common)
Slovenia	5.1% (28% more common)
Réunion	5.1% (28% more common)
Denmark	5.1% (27% more common)
Czech Republic	5.1% (26% more common)
United Kingdom	5.1% (26% more common)
Maldives	4.9% (21% more common)
Cambodia	4.9% (21% more common)
France	4.8% (20% more common)
Ireland	4.8% (19% more common)
Switzerland	4.7% (17% more common)
Vietnam	4.7% (17% more common)
United States	4.7% (15% more common)
Luxembourg	4.6% (13% more common)
Austria	4.5% (12% more common)
Jamaica	4.5% (about as common)
Mongolia	4.4% (10% more common)
Croatia	4.4% (8% more common)
Hungary	4.3% (6% more common)
Estonia	4.2% (about as common)
Indonesia	4.1% (about as common)
Germany	4.1% (about as common)
Italy	4.1% (about as common)
Bosnia and Herzegovina	4.1% (about as common)
Portugal	4.1% (about as common)
Cyprus	4.0% (about as common)
Bulgaria	4.0% (about as common)
Puerto Rico	4.0% (about as common)
United Arab Emirates	3.9% (about as common)
Kazakhstan	3.9% (about as common)
Costa Rica	3.8% (about as common)
Kyrgyzstan	3.8% (6% less common)
Spain	3.8% (7% less common)
Belarus	3.7% (8% less common)
Moldova	3.7% (9% less common)
Israel	3.7% (9% less common)
Poland	3.6% (10% less common)
Netherlands	3.6% (10% less common)
Qatar	3.6% (11% less common)
Sri Lanka	3.6% (11% less common)
Serbia	3.6% (11% less common)
Romania	3.6% (12% less common)
Latvia	3.5% (12% less common)
Lithuania	3.5% (13% less common)
Greece	3.5% (14% less common)
Philippines	3.5% (14% less common)
Ukraine	3.4% (15% less common)
Bahrain	3.4% (15% less common)
Russia	3.4% (15% less common)
Armenia	3.3% (19% less common)
Georgia	3.3% (19% less common)
Chile	3.2% (21% less common)
Kuwait	3.1% (23% less common)
Albania	3.1% (23% less common)
Saudi Arabia	3.1% (24% less common)
North Macedonia	3.1% (24% less common)
Oman	3.1% (24% less common)
Honduras	3.0% (25% less common)
Brazil	3.0% (25% less common)
Guatemala	3.0% (26% less common)
Paraguay	3.0% (26% less common)
El Salvador	3.0% (26% less common)
Argentina	2.9% (27% less common)
Panama	2.9% (27% less common)
Egypt	2.9% (27% less common)
Dominican Republic	2.9% (28% less common)
Jordan	2.9% (29% less common)
Uruguay	2.9% (29% less common)
Ecuador	2.8% (30% less common)
Mexico	2.8% (30% less common)
Uzbekistan	2.7% (32% less common)
Lebanon	2.7% (32% less common)
Palestine	2.7% (34% less common)
Libya	2.6% (36% less common)
Iran	2.6% (36% less common)
Turkey	2.6% (36% less common)
Colombia	2.5% (37% less common)
Syria	2.5% (37% less common)
Azerbaijan	2.5% (39% less common)
Nicaragua	2.4% (40% less common)
Iraq	2.2% (46% less common)
Peru	2.2% (46% less common)
Venezuela	2.1% (48% less common)
Bolivia	2.1% (48% less common)
Morocco	2.0% (50% less common)
Tunisia	1.9% (52% less common)
Algeria	1.9% (52% less common)

Most common

Singapore (7.7%) +91%
Thailand (7.5%) +87%
Taiwan (7.5%) +86%
China (7.1%) +77%
Japan (7.0%) +73%
Malaysia (6.5%) +60%
Macao (6.4%) +58%
Hong Kong (6.2%) +54%
Brunei (6.2%) +53%
Finland (5.8%) +45%

Least common

Algeria (1.9%) −52%
Tunisia (1.9%) −52%
Morocco (2.0%) −50%
Bolivia (2.1%) −48%
Venezuela (2.1%) −48%
Peru (2.2%) −46%
Iraq (2.2%) −46%
Nicaragua (2.4%) −40%
Azerbaijan (2.5%) −39%
Syria (2.5%) −37%

Figures show where ISFJs are clearly more (↑) or less (↓) common than in the average country. Places with fewer test results need bigger differences to count.

ISFJs by U.S. state

Colors compare each state’s share of ISFJs with the U.S. as a whole, where it’s 4.7%.

ISFJs by U.S. state
State	How common
South Dakota	6.2% (32% more common)
Hawaii	5.7% (23% more common)
Iowa	5.7% (23% more common)
North Dakota	5.6% (21% more common)
Wisconsin	5.6% (21% more common)
Nebraska	5.4% (17% more common)
Kansas	5.4% (16% more common)
Wyoming	5.4% (16% more common)
Minnesota	5.3% (15% more common)
Maine	5.3% (15% more common)
Mississippi	5.3% (14% more common)
West Virginia	5.3% (13% more common)
Oklahoma	5.0% (8% more common)
Indiana	5.0% (8% more common)
Kentucky	5.0% (7% more common)
Louisiana	5.0% (7% more common)
Arkansas	5.0% (6% more common)
Ohio	4.9% (6% more common)
Pennsylvania	4.9% (5% more common)
Tennessee	4.9% (5% more common)
Alabama	4.9% (5% more common)
North Carolina	4.8% (about as common)
South Carolina	4.8% (about as common)
New Hampshire	4.8% (about as common)
Missouri	4.8% (about as common)
Idaho	4.8% (about as common)
Michigan	4.8% (about as common)
Utah	4.7% (about as common)
Rhode Island	4.7% (about as common)
Delaware	4.7% (about as common)
Montana	4.6% (about as common)
California	4.6% (about as common)
Illinois	4.6% (about as common)
Arizona	4.5% (about as common)
Alaska	4.5% (about as common)
Washington	4.5% (about as common)
Georgia	4.5% (about as common)
Massachusetts	4.5% (about as common)
Vermont	4.5% (about as common)
Connecticut	4.4% (about as common)
Oregon	4.4% (5% less common)
Maryland	4.4% (5% less common)
Texas	4.4% (5% less common)
Virginia	4.4% (5% less common)
Colorado	4.4% (5% less common)
New York	4.4% (6% less common)
New Jersey	4.4% (6% less common)
New Mexico	4.4% (about as common)
Nevada	4.3% (7% less common)
Florida	4.2% (10% less common)
Washington, D.C.	3.8% (18% less common)

Most common

South Dakota (6.2%) +32%
Hawaii (5.7%) +23%
Iowa (5.7%) +23%
North Dakota (5.6%) +21%
Wisconsin (5.6%) +21%

Least common

Washington, D.C. (3.8%) −18%
Florida (4.2%) −10%
Nevada (4.3%) −7%
New Mexico (4.4%)
New Jersey (4.4%) −6%

Figures show where ISFJs are clearly more (↑) or less (↓) common than in the U.S. as a whole. Places with fewer test results need bigger differences to count.

All personality types

Based on 127,869,638 test results. Want to use this data for research, or have a suggestion? Get in touch.

Where does this data come from?
From people who took our free personality test over 12 months, from October 2025 to September 2026. We only use anonymous totals, never anyone’s individual results.
What are places compared with?
Countries are compared with the “average country”: the average of all ranked countries, with each country counting equally – so countries where lots of people take the test don’t outweigh the rest. Regional maps, like Europe’s, use the average of that region’s ranked countries, and U.S. states are compared with the U.S. as a whole.
Which results count?
Each completed test counts once, so someone who takes it twice counts twice. We leave out tests that look skipped or automated, and we score every language version of the test the same way, so places can be compared fairly. A country needs at least 10,000 results – plus enough for its population – to be ranked and shown on our maps.
How do we compare places?
We compare each country’s share of ISFJs with the average country, and each state’s with the U.S. as a whole. Differences under 5%, or too small to be sure of, count as “about as common.”
Are the results representative?
Not exactly: people choose to take our test online, so test-takers aren’t a perfect cross-section of any country. Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Turbulent people are probably a little more common among them everywhere. Because that tilt affects every place in much the same way, comparing places still works. Where very few people take the test, we can’t be as sure, so we don’t rank or map those countries.
Is the test only in English?
No – it’s available in 48 other languages, and results from every language are included.