You've probably heard the statistic before. It’s the one that pops up in every heated social media debate or biology deep-dive.
1.7 percent. That’s the number people love to throw around when they're talking about how many of us don’t fit into the standard "male" or "female" boxes. But here is the thing: if you are looking for the answer to what percentage of people are hermaphrodites, you’re actually asking a much more complicated question than you realize.
Honestly, the word "hermaphrodite" itself is kind of a relic. In the world of modern medicine and human rights, we’ve basically moved on to the term intersex. And the numbers? They are all over the place depending on who you ask and how they define "normal."
The 1.7 Percent Myth (and Reality)
Let’s talk about Anne Fausto-Sterling. She’s a Brown University biologist who, back in 2000, published a book called Sexing the Body. This is where that 1.7% figure comes from. She argued that if you look at the whole spectrum of human biology—chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy—about 1.7 out of every 100 people don't fit the strict binary.
That is a lot of people. To put it in perspective, that’s roughly the same percentage of the population born with red hair.
But not everyone agrees with her math.
A few years later, a psychologist named Leonard Sax took a look at her data and basically called foul. He argued that Fausto-Sterling’s definition was way too broad. He pointed out that she included conditions like Klinefelter syndrome (XXY) and Turner syndrome (XO), along with Late-Onset Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (LOCAH).
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Sax’s take? Most of those people don’t have "ambiguous" genitals. They usually identify quite clearly as male or female. If you only count people whose physical sex is truly "ambiguous" at birth, Sax says the number drops to about 0.018%.
That’s a massive gap. We are talking about the difference between 1 in 60 people and 1 in 5,500.
Why the Term "Hermaphrodite" is Dead (Mostly)
If you walk into a hospital today and use the "H-word," you’re going to get some looks. In the biological world, a "true hermaphrodite" is an organism—like an earthworm or a snail—that has fully functioning sets of both male and female reproductive organs. They can produce both eggs and sperm.
Humans? We don't do that.
There has never been a documented case of a human being who could "self-fertilize" or function fully as both sexes. It just isn't how our plumbing works. Because the term "hermaphrodite" implies this impossible "both/and" functionality, doctors and activists find it misleading. Plus, let’s be real: it has a pretty stigmatizing history.
In 2006, a group of medical experts got together and decided to ditch the old labels. They replaced "hermaphroditism" with Disorders of Sex Development (DSD).
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Some people love the DSD label because it treats these variations as medical conditions that might need care. Others hate it because they feel like "disorder" implies they are broken. That is why "intersex" has become the go-to term for most people living with these traits.
Breaking Down the Numbers: What’s Actually Happening?
When we ask about the percentage of people who are intersex, we are really talking about a giant umbrella of different conditions. It’s not just one thing.
- Klinefelter Syndrome (XXY): This is one of the most common variations. About 1 in 500 to 1 in 1,000 biological males have an extra X chromosome. Most don't even know it until they hit puberty or try to have kids.
- Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS): This is fascinating. A person is born with XY chromosomes (typically male) but their body doesn't respond to testosterone. They often grow up with female anatomy and are frequently surprised to learn they have internal testes instead of a uterus. This happens in about 1 in 20,000 births.
- Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH): This can cause the adrenal glands to produce excess masculine hormones in a fetus with XX chromosomes. It can lead to genitals that look more masculine at birth.
- Ovotesticular DSD: This is what used to be called "true hermaphroditism." It’s extremely rare. It’s when a person has both ovarian and testicular tissue.
You see the problem? If you only count the "visible" differences at birth, the percentage is tiny. If you count every chromosomal "hiccup," the percentage climbs.
The Global Perspective
It’s not just about biology; it’s about where you live. In some parts of the world, intersex children are still treated with a lot of secrecy.
In the U.S. and Europe, the 1.7% figure is often used by advocacy groups like interACT to show that intersex people are a significant minority who deserve legal protections. They point out that many people undergo "normalizing" surgeries as infants—surgeries they didn't ask for and that can lead to a lifetime of nerve damage or psychological trauma.
Meanwhile, the United Nations (OHCHR) officially uses that "up to 1.7%" estimate. They use it to push for human rights, arguing that intersex people exist in every single culture on Earth, even if they're forced into the shadows.
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What You Should Actually Take Away
So, what’s the real number?
Honestly, the "true" percentage depends on your definition. If you mean "people born with both sets of functioning organs," the answer is zero. If you mean "people whose biology doesn't neatly fit into a male/female box," it's likely somewhere between 0.05% and 1.7%.
The most important thing to remember is that these aren't just statistics. They are people.
Whether it's 1 in 60 or 1 in 5,000, people with intersex traits have been part of the human story forever. They aren't "errors" or "mutations" to be fixed; they're just part of the wild, messy diversity of human biology.
If you want to be an ally or just be more informed, start by using the right language. Ditch "hermaphrodite" for intersex. Acknowledge that sex isn't always a simple coin flip. And most importantly, support the right of intersex individuals to have bodily autonomy—meaning they should be the ones to decide what happens to their bodies when they’re old enough to choose.
Check out resources from the Intersex Society of North America (archived but still gold) or ILGA World to see how laws are changing in 2026 to protect these individuals. Staying informed is the first step toward moving past the myths.