From CDC: It is estimated that, in the United States, 47.8% of people aged 14–49 have HSV-1 (oral herpes), while 11.9% of Americans in the same age group have HSV-2 (genital herpes). Theoretically, this means that over 195 million people in the United States might have genital herpes.
[So not all people do. Only 61%. With ~48% having the cold sore variety]
From WebMD:
Herpes simplex viruses -- more commonly known as
herpes -- are categorized into two types: herpes type 1 (HSV-1, or oral herpes) and herpes type 2 (HSV-2, or
genital herpes). Most commonly, herpes type 1 causes sores around the
mouth and lips (sometimes called
fever blisters or
cold sores). HSV-1 can
cause genital herpes, but most cases of
genital herpes are caused by herpes type 2. In HSV-2, the infected person
may have sores around the genitals or rectum. Although HSV-2 sores may occur in other locations, these sores usually are found below the waist.
Herpes can only be passed through direct skin-to-skin contact with the infected area such as kissing, oral sex, genital-to-genital rubbing, vaginal, and anal sex.
Herpes (both oral & genital) can be spread even when there are no symptoms or sores. This is called asymptomatic shedding.
[Visual inspections are not 100% reliable]