What are Lotto's luckiest and unluckiest numbers?
37, 39, and 52 are revealed to be the luckiest Lotto numbers, with a frequency of 121. The unluckiest Lotto number is 21, having been drawn only 91 times, and an expert reveals why selecting numbers based on loved ones’ birthdays could lower your chances of winning the jackpot.
New research has revealed the luckiest and unluckiest numbers to use in the Lotto.
Experts examined Lotto data between October 2015 and August 2025 to determine the frequency of ball numbers drawn in the game ; the numbers with the highest frequency have been deemed the luckiest, while those with the lowest frequency have been considered the unluckiest.
Lotto, renamed from The National Lottery, began in 1994 when players could originally choose six numbers from 1 to 49 or have their numbers randomly selected; in October 2015, the ball pool was expanded from 49 to 59. The winning numbers are drawn every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
To win the jackpot, your six numbers must match each of the ones drawn; however, if no one is eligible, the jackpot will be shared among players with two or more matching numbers.
The study reveals that 37, 39, and 52 share first place as the luckiest numbers; all three have been selected in the winning draw 121 times.
42 is in second place, having been drawn 120 times, while third place is shared between 11, 58, and 27, with a frequency of 119.
8 and 54 take the fourth spot, with a frequency of 115, while 20, which has been drawn 114 times, follows closely behind in fifth place.
On the other hand, 21 takes the unluckiest number crown, having only been drawn 91 times.
The second unluckiest numbers are 48 and 30, which have a frequency of 92.
Two numbers tie for third place: 18 and 24. Both have been drawn 95 times in total.
Fourth place goes to 6, with a frequency of 96. Four numbers share fifth place: 44, 43, 26 and 2, as they have all been drawn 97 times.
A spokesperson commented on the findings:
“While there is no way to guarantee what numbers are drawn in any lottery game, it’s interesting to analyse past results and discover which ones could work as your lucky numbers or, similarly, which ones to avoid.
“If you choose your own numbers instead of opting for a random selection, it may be in your best interest to avoid choosing numbers significant to a loved one’s birthday, which is a common choice for many lottery players. It’s also interesting to note that 13, commonly considered an ‘unlucky’ number in superstition, is actually one of the luckiest lottery numbers.
“Choosing numbers based on birthdays prevents you from playing with numbers higher than 31 – but more than half of the study’s luckiest numbers are higher than this.
“Additionally, over half of the unluckiest numbers are within the range 1-31, further suggesting that selecting numbers of a higher value could increase your chance of winning big.”