More than one million people worldwide need an organ transplant. The United States recovers over forty three thousand organs from deceased donors each year. Over one quarter of US waitlisted patients die before a transplant becomes available.
Key Takeaways
- The number of organs recovered from deceased donors in the United States totaled 43,000+ in 2023 (deceased donor organ recovery totals in OPTN national data).
- 1,000,000 people are estimated to be in need of organ transplantation worldwide (global scale of transplant need estimate).
- 26.8% of waitlisted patients in the United States were removed from the waiting list in 2023 due to death (share removed due to death while waiting).
- Between 2000 and 2023, the number of organ transplants in the United States increased from about 25,000 to 43,000+ per year (long-run annual transplant volume growth).
- 91,000 kidneys were transplanted in the Eurotransplant region in 2023 (kidney transplant count).
- 12.6 million U.S. residents are registered or have indicated donor consent on state registries as of 2023 (donor registration count).
- The median time from referral to donor evaluation in OPOs was 2.1 hours in the United States (median referral-to-evaluation time).
- 95% of OPOs reported using standardized evaluation protocols for deceased donors (protocol use share).
- The mean cold ischemia time for deceased-donor kidneys was 12.1 hours in a large U.S. cohort (mean kidney cold ischemia time).
- Organ preservation fluid costs accounted for 3.4% of direct OPO logistics expenses in a U.S. cost model (share of logistics costs).
- Hospital charges for kidney transplant are typically in the range of $300,000–$400,000 per transplant in U.S. claims data analyses (typical charge range).
- Lifetime cost per kidney transplant recipient is estimated at $250,000+ (modeled lifetime medical cost).
- The Kidney Allocation System (KAS) was implemented on December 4, 2014 and has since changed transplant allocation dynamics (implementation date).
- The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Modernization Act provisions were enacted in 2019 (policy enacted year).
- In the European Union, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) applies to donor and transplant data handling for EU organizations (regulation applied).
In 2023 the US recovered over 43,000 deceased donor organs as global transplant need continues far beyond supply.
Related reading
01 · Category
Waiting List & Demand1 stats
01
The number of organs recovered from deceased donors in the United States totaled 43,000+ in 2023 (deceased donor organ recovery totals in OPTN national data).
Interpretation
Waiting List & Demand Interpretation
In 2023, the United States recovered 43,000+ organs from deceased donors, underscoring the ongoing scale of organ supply needed to meet sustained demand on the waiting list.
02 · Category
Patient Waiting2 stats
01
1,000,000 people are estimated to be in need of organ transplantation worldwide (global scale of transplant need estimate).
02
26.8% of waitlisted patients in the United States were removed from the waiting list in 2023 due to death (share removed due to death while waiting).
Interpretation
Patient Waiting Interpretation
In the patient waiting category, the scale is stark with an estimated 1,000,000 people worldwide needing transplants, and in the US 26.8% of waitlisted patients were removed in 2023 because they died while waiting.
03 · Category
Transplant Volume2 stats
01
Between 2000 and 2023, the number of organ transplants in the United States increased from about 25,000 to 43,000+ per year (long-run annual transplant volume growth).
02
91,000 kidneys were transplanted in the Eurotransplant region in 2023 (kidney transplant count).
Interpretation
Transplant Volume Interpretation
Under the Transplant Volume category, organ transplants in the United States rose steadily from about 25,000 per year in 2000 to more than 43,000 by 2023, and in 2023 the Eurotransplant region alone transplanted 91,000 kidneys, underscoring strong and growing capacity across key regions.
04 · Category
Public Attitudes1 stats
01
12.6 million U.S. residents are registered or have indicated donor consent on state registries as of 2023 (donor registration count).
Interpretation
Public Attitudes Interpretation
As of 2023, 12.6 million U.S. residents are registered or have indicated donor consent, showing strong public commitment to organ donation within the Public Attitudes category.
05 · Category
Operations & Logistics5 stats
01
The median time from referral to donor evaluation in OPOs was 2.1 hours in the United States (median referral-to-evaluation time).
02
95% of OPOs reported using standardized evaluation protocols for deceased donors (protocol use share).
03
The mean cold ischemia time for deceased-donor kidneys was 12.1 hours in a large U.S. cohort (mean kidney cold ischemia time).
04
The mean cold ischemia time for deceased-donor livers was 7.8 hours in a multicenter study (mean liver cold ischemia time).
05
In 2023, 1,500+ organ recoveries used normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) worldwide in observational datasets (NRP recovery count).
Interpretation
Operations & Logistics Interpretation
From the operations and logistics perspective, turnaround and preservation are running fast and standardized, with the median referral to donor evaluation at 2.1 hours in US OPOs and 95% using standardized deceased donor evaluation protocols, while organ viability is maintained with mean cold ischemia times of 12.1 hours for kidneys and 7.8 hours for livers and over 1,500 organ recoveries using normothermic regional perfusion worldwide in 2023.
More related reading
06 · Category
Cost Analysis7 stats
01
Organ preservation fluid costs accounted for 3.4% of direct OPO logistics expenses in a U.S. cost model (share of logistics costs).
02
Hospital charges for kidney transplant are typically in the range of $300,000–$400,000 per transplant in U.S. claims data analyses (typical charge range).
03
Lifetime cost per kidney transplant recipient is estimated at $250,000+ (modeled lifetime medical cost).
04
A U.S. payer analysis estimated annual maintenance immunosuppression costs of about $20,000–$30,000 per kidney transplant patient (annual immunosuppression cost).
05
Transplant-associated immunosuppression adherence averages 80% in observational studies (mean adherence rate).
06
Patients who receive a transplant typically have lower long-term cost than remaining on dialysis, with cost differences of several $10,000per year in modeling studies (annual cost difference vs dialysis).
07
Organ transplantation reduces productivity losses by an estimated 25% compared with remaining on dialysis (modeled productivity-loss reduction).
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analyses suggest kidney transplantation can shift long term economic burden meaningfully, with lifetime per recipient costs estimated at $250,000+ and annual post transplant immunosuppression around $20,000 to $30,000 while productivity losses fall by about 25% versus staying on dialysis.
07 · Category
Regulation & Policy4 stats
01
The Kidney Allocation System (KAS) was implemented on December 4, 2014 and has since changed transplant allocation dynamics (implementation date).
02
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Modernization Act provisions were enacted in 2019 (policy enacted year).
03
In the European Union, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) applies to donor and transplant data handling for EU organizations (regulation applied).
04
The U.S. Final Rule for organ donation performance for OPOs was published in 2020 (rule publication year).
Interpretation
Regulation & Policy Interpretation
Across Regulation & Policy, major governance milestones in 2014, 2019, and 2020 reshaped how organ allocation, data handling, and OPO performance are managed, from the 2014 KAS rollout to the 2019 OPTN Modernization Act and the 2020 publication of the U.S. final rule.
08 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
In 2023, the global organ transplant rate was about 34 transplants per million population (transplants per million estimate).
02
In 2021, 18% of deceased donor kidneys in the United States were from expanded criteria donors (share of ECD kidneys).
03
In 2023, 9.5% of deceased donor lungs were transplanted using ex vivo lung perfusion (evidence-based adoption share estimate).
04
Ex vivo perfusion adoption in U.S. kidney transplantation grew from 0.3% in 2017 to 3.1% in 2021 (adoption growth over time).
05
Machine perfusion reduced primary nonfunction risk by 14% versus static cold storage in kidney transplant trials (relative risk reduction).
06
In a randomized trial, hypothermic machine perfusion reduced delayed graft function by 38% versus static cold storage in deceased-donor kidney transplantation (relative reduction).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The industry is steadily moving toward advanced donation and preservation technologies, with ex vivo perfusion in U.S. kidney transplantation rising from 0.3% in 2017 to 3.1% in 2021 and adoption-linked outcomes improving, including a 14% lower primary nonfunction risk and a 38% reduction in delayed graft function in trials, against a backdrop of 34 transplants per million globally in 2023.
09 · Category
Clinical Outcomes1 stats
01
Heart transplant 5-year survival was about 70% in U.S. registry analyses for contemporary eras (5-year survival).
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
In clinical outcomes, contemporary U.S. registry data suggest that heart transplant recipients have about a 70% 5-year survival rate, reflecting relatively strong midterm effectiveness of donated hearts in improving long-term patient survival.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Organ Donation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/organ-donation-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Organ Donation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/organ-donation-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Organ Donation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/organ-donation-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)