Organ Transplantation Can Save More Lives and Improve the Well-Being

According to Organ Transplantation Statistics, Organ transplantation is a medical procedure that involves replacing a damaged or failing organ with a healthy organ from a deceased or living donor.

It is a lifesaving treatment option for individuals with end-stage organ failure or certain debilitating conditions.

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• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 135,000 organ transplants are performed annually worldwide.
• Every donor can save 8 lives and enhance over 75 more.
• More than 42,000 organ transplants were performed in 2022.
• 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant.
• 104,234 Number of men, women, and children on the national transplant waiting list.
• About 14,890 transplants are done in the year 2023.
• In 2023, 103,822 people need lifesaving organ transplants. (Source: UNOS)
• The number of living donors fell by 58% to 444, accounting for 27% of the total number of organ donors.
• 4,256 patients were waiting for a transplant at the end of March 2021, with a further 5,307 temporarily suspended from transplant lists.

Organ Transplantation Key Statistics

• There are currently 121,678 individuals waiting in the U.S. for lifesaving organ transplants; 100,791 need kidney transplants alone.
• The median waiting time for an individual’s first kidney transplant is 3.6 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility, and availability of organs.
• In 2023, a total of 7,380 individuals generously became organ donors, with both deceased and living donors.
• The US has reached a historic milestone in organ transplantation: 1 million transplants, more than any other country in the world.
• More than 100,000 people are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants.
• 1 out of 3 decreased donors is over the age of 50.
• In 2022, about 21,300 donors brought new life to recipients and their families. (Source: Donate Life America)
• The majority of Americans % are in favor of organ donation. But only 58% are registered.
•  In 2021, the United States had the highest rate of deceased organ donors among select OECD countries with almost 42 people per million population. 
•  Organ donations globally reached almost 130 thousand in the year 2020.
• The kidney is the most transplanted organ worldwide followed by the liver and the heart. In 2021, there were a total of around 144,302 organ transplants worldwide. 

Organ Transplantation Statistics by Organ Type

Liver Transplantation

• In general, about 75% of people who undergo liver transplants live for at least five years.
• About 8,000 liver transplant surgeries are performed in the United States every year.
• In 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, 8906 liver transplants were performed in the United States, more than in any previous year.
• In 2020, 119 programs performed adult liver transplants, and the median transplant program volume increased from 55 in 2019.
• In 2020, 502 pediatric liver transplants were performed in the United States.
• 86% of patients who undergo liver transplantation are still alive 1 year after surgery.

• After 3 years, the survival rate remains high, with 78% of patients alive.
• After 5 years of surgery, the survival rate decreased slightly to 72%.
• In the long term, 20 years of surgery the survival rate further decreased to 53%. 
• About 12,790 liver transplants were done in America in 2021.

Kidney Transplantation

• Currently, approximately 7500 kidney transplantations are performed at 250 kidney transplant centers in India.
• Over 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list each month.
• About 85% of patients are waiting for kidney transplantation.
• 3-5 years is the average waiting time for a kidney from a deceased donor.
• More than 90,000 people in the United States are waiting for kidney donation.
• About 36,232 kidney transplants were done in America in 2021.

Lung Transplants

• More than 1,000 adults and children in the United States are waiting for new lungs.
• The minimum cost for a Lung Transplant in India starts from INR Rs. 12,35,000. The average price of a Lung Transplant in India is INR Rs. 17,00,000.
• The number of lung transplants has been declining since the peak noted in 2019, with 2,569 transplants occurring in 2021.
• As of November 30, 2022, the patients on the lung transplant waiting list were 289.
• About 3,096 lung transplantations were done in America in 2021 alone, while around 1,964 lung transplants were performed in the European region.

Patients on the Waiting List for Transplantation by Age

• People aged more than 50-64 years are more likely to wait for organ transplants. About 44,529 people are waiting for organ transplants, followed by about 26,694 people aged 65+ waiting for any organ transplant.
• 22,786 people aged 35-49 years are waiting for organ transplantation.
• 8,387 people aged 18-34 years are waiting for organ transplants.
• 887 people aged 11-17 years, 451 people aged 6-10 years and 634 adults aged under 5 years are waiting for organ transplants.

Organ Transplants Success Rate

• Kidney Transplants: The success rate of kidney transplantation is relatively high compared to other organ transplants. According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) in the United States, the one-year survival rate for kidney transplants from deceased donors is around 95%, while the five-year survival rate is approximately 85-90%.
• Liver Transplants: The one-year survival rate for liver transplants from deceased donors is around 85-90%, while the five-year survival rate is approximately 70-75%.
• Heart Transplants: The one-year survival rate for heart transplants is approximately 85-90%, and the five-year survival rate is around 75-80%.
• Lung Transplants:  The one-year survival rate for lung transplants is approximately 80-85%, and the five-year survival rate is around 50-55%.
• Pancreas Transplants: The success rates for combined kidney-pancreas transplants are similar to kidney transplants alone, with one-year survival rates of around 95% and five-year survival rates of 85-90%.

Organ Transplantation Statistics by Country

United States

The United States has one of the most advanced organ transplantation systems in the world. It has a large number of organ transplant centers and performs a significant number of transplant surgeries each year.

• According to OPTN, there were about 39,025 organ transplants performed in the United States in 2020.
•  In 2020, there were 11,654 deceased donors in the U.S., resulting in a total of 23,587 transplants.
• As of 2020, there were approximately 107,000 patients on the national organ transplant waiting list in the United States.
• Generally, the one-year survival rates for most organs are quite high, ranging from 85% to 95% or even higher.
• The most common types of organ transplants performed in the U.S. include kidney, liver, heart, lung, and pancreas transplants.
•  In 2021, there were 41,356 organ transplants in the United States. 
• In 2021, there were just over 20,400 organ donors in the United States. Men accounted for 54% of organ donors that year. 
• In the United States, just over 105,700 candidates were waiting for organ transplantation as of November 2022.

Spain

• Spain has an organ donation rate of 49.6 per million population (pmp) in 2021, which is relatively higher than the global average of 22.9 pmp.
• In 2020, a total of 3,125 solid organ transplants were carried out in the country. This includes kidney, liver, heart, lung, and pancreas transplants.
• In 2021, Spain performed 2,221 kidney transplants. The country has a high rate of living donor kidney transplants.
• In 2022, approximately 3.4 thousand kidney transplants were performed in Spain. 
• The Mediterranean country topped the European list of kidney transplantations, with a rate of 63.2 per million population in 2021.