RBC vs WBC- Definition and 19 Major Differences (original) (raw)

Differences between RBCs and WBCs

RBC vs WBC (Table form)
References

RBC vs WBC (Table form)

S.N.	Characteristics	Red Blood Cells (RBCs)	White Blood Cells (WBCs)
1.	Alternative Name	Erythrocytes	Leucocytes
2.	Origin	In the embryonic phase, they are formed in the liver and spleen. However, after birth, they are formed in the red bone marrow.	They are formed in red bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, etc
3.	Process of Formation	Formation of RBCs is called “Erythropoiesis”	Formation of WBCs is called “Leucopoiesis”
4.	Abundance	More abundant (4-5 million /mm3) They are the most abundant cell in the blood, accounting for about 40 to 45 percent of its volume.	They are much fewer in number than red blood cells, accounting for about 1 percent of blood (8000 /mm3).
5.	Size	Smaller than WBC ( 0.008 mm diameter )	Larger than RBC (0.02mm)
6.	Shape	Biconcave disc-shaped	Irregular or round in shape
7.	Colour	Red cells are pinkish‐brown in color.	White cells are colorless.
8.	Hemoglobin	The complex protein, hemoglobin, is the major constituent of RBCs.	Hemoglobin is absent in WBCs.
9.	Nucleus	The nucleus is absent (anucleate).	Present and may be bilobed, irregular or round.
10.	Circulatory system	Belong to the cardiovascular system	Belong to the lymphatic system
11.	Types	Single type.	In healthy people, there are at least five types of white cells in the circulating blood. White cells are divided into granulocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes.
12.	Number Increment	Number increases during exercise or when at high altitudes.	The infection leads to an increase in the number of WBCs.
13.	Life span	The average life span of 120 days	Life span ranges from 5-21 days.
14.	Motility	Non-motile but can move through circulation and have the ability to squeeze through small capillaries.	Generally motile.
15.	Movement	Movement is Primarily between the cardiovascular system	Between the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems.
16.	Movement type	Do not leave the blood vessel	They can leave blood from capillaries and land in tissues.
17.	Rouleaux formation	Forms stacks or aggregation called Rouleaux	Do not form Rouleaux
18.	Related disorders	Disorders result in anemia, thalassemia, polycythemia vera, etc.	Lymphoma, Leukemia, Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
19.	Function	Carry respiratory gases- oxygen and carbon dioxide. Also, it contributes to blood viscosity.	Phagocytosis and defensive role including antibody production.

References

About Author

Sagar Aryal, PhD

Sagar Aryal is a microbiologist and a scientific blogger. He completed his Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from the Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal in 2025. He was awarded the DAAD Research Grant to conduct part of his Ph.D. research work for two years (2019-2021) at Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarbrucken, Germany. Sagar is interested in research on actinobacteria, myxobacteria, and natural products. He is the Research Head of the Department of Natural Products, Kathmandu Research Institute for Biological Sciences (KRIBS), Lalitpur, Nepal. Sagar has more than 15 years of experience in blogging, content writing, and SEO. Sagar was awarded the SfAM Communications Award 2015: Professional Communicator Category from the Society for Applied Microbiology (Now: Applied Microbiology International), Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK). Sagar is also the ASM Young Ambassador to Nepal for the American Society for Microbiology since 2023 onwards.