In the U.S., more than 103,000 people wait for organ transplants, and 91% of registered donors proceed to donation when families give consent. Even support does not always turn into registration, since 36% of U.S. adults back donation but stay unregistered due to myths. Across demographics, consent and registration gaps persist, from 83% support among millennials to lower registration among people 45 and older.
Key Takeaways
- 36% of U.S. adults support but not registered donors due to myths
- Globally, over 150,000 organ transplants occur annually, with the U.S. performing about 30%
- Kidneys represent 60% of global transplants
- In 2023, the United States recorded 46,630 total organ transplants from 21,632 deceased donors and 6,436 living donors
- Kidney transplants from deceased donors wait 3-5 years globally average
In 2023, organ donation increased, offering more patients the chance to receive life saving transplants.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographic And Awareness Statistics25 stats
01
36% of U.S. adults support but not registered donors due to myths
02
U.S. millennials (18-34) 83% support donation, 50% registered
03
Blacks 60% support organ donation vs 90% whites
04
75% of U.S. families consent when donor registered
05
Global awareness: 50% know donation process
06
U.S. women 52% registered donors vs men 48%
07
Age 45+ less likely to register: 40% vs 70% under 30
08
Rural U.S. lower registration 45% vs urban 65%
09
College-educated 75% registered vs high school 50%
10
Religious: Catholics 85% support donation
11
Myth: doctors won't save donors - believed by 15% U.S.
12
91% of U.S. registered donors when family asked consent
13
Hispanics 20% less likely to donate due to family distrust
14
Global youth campaigns increased registration 25%
15
U.S. DMV registration: 140 million potential
16
Asians 10% U.S. donors despite 6% population
17
25% Americans unaware one donor saves 8 lives
18
Post-awareness campaigns, registration up 10% in states
19
Females more likely to discuss donation with family 70% vs 55% males
20
Low-income lower registration due to healthcare distrust 40%
21
Veterans 85% support donation
22
Teens school programs: 90% pledge to donate
23
60% believe brain death = true death post-education
24
Social media drives 20% registration increases
25
Elderly 65+ 30% registered despite 95% support
Interpretation
Demographic And Awareness Statistics Interpretation
Across demographic and awareness groups, support for organ donation is broadly high but registration and knowledge gaps persist, with 83% of U.S. millennials supporting yet only 50% registered and just 50% globally knowing the process.
02 · Category
Global Statistics28 stats
01
Globally, over 150,000 organ transplants occur annually, with the U.S. performing about 30%
02
Spain has the highest organ donation rate at 48.9 PMP in 2023
03
Worldwide, 1 in 10 patients die on transplant waiting lists due to organ shortage
04
In 2022, Europe performed 36,000 solid organ transplants
05
Global kidney transplants exceed 90,000 per year
06
Living donor kidney transplants worldwide: 40% of total kidney transplants
07
Asia has over 500,000 on kidney waiting lists
08
France's donation rate was 45.5 PMP in 2023
09
Brazil performed 10,000 transplants in 2023, rate 46 PMP
10
Global liver transplants: 30,000 annually
11
Heart transplants worldwide: 5,000-6,000 per year
12
Lung transplants globally: 4,500 annually
13
Iran has a unique paid kidney donor system with 2,500 transplants/year
14
India performs 10,000-12,000 organ transplants yearly
15
Australia's donation rate 22.5 PMP in 2023
16
UK performed 7,499 transplants in 2023
17
Canada’s rate 25.1 PMP deceased donors in 2023
18
Global DBD donation rate average 15-20 PMP, varying by country
19
Over 150 million people registered as donors worldwide
20
Africa has lowest donation rates <1 PMP
21
China performed 20,000 transplants in 2022
22
Russia’s rate 2.5 PMP in 2023
23
Germany 11.3 PMP deceased donors 2023
24
Japan living donor rate high at 90% for kidneys
25
Mexico 6.2 PMP in 2023
26
South Korea 40 transplants PMP in 2023
27
Global pediatric transplants <10% of total
28
Worldwide organ trafficking affects 10% of transplants
Interpretation
Global Statistics Interpretation
Across global organ donation and transplant systems, more than 150,000 transplants happen each year but about 1 in 10 patients still die waiting, even as kidney transplants exceed 90,000 annually and living donors account for 40% of them.
03 · Category
Organ Specific Statistics25 stats
01
Kidneys represent 60% of global transplants
02
Livers account for 20% of worldwide organ transplants annually
03
Hearts make up 4% of global solid organ transplants
04
Lungs comprise 3% of global transplants with 4,500 procedures yearly
05
Pancreas transplants 1% globally, often with kidneys
06
Small bowel transplants <500 worldwide annually
07
Corneas donated: 200,000 globally per year
08
U.S. kidneys donated: 25,500 deceased + 5,900 living in 2023
09
Global liver waiting list deaths: 2,000/year
10
Heart donors yield 1 heart per donor typically
11
One deceased donor can save 8 lives with multiple organs
12
Kidneys: 2 per donor, highest recovery rate 90%
13
Livers: split donations possible for 2 recipients
14
Lungs: paired donations from one donor
15
Pancreas: 1,200 global simultaneous kidney-pancreas
16
Uterus transplants: 100 worldwide as of 2024
17
Bone marrow unrelated donors: 40 million registered globally
18
Skin grafts from donors: millions of sq cm yearly
19
Heart valves from donors: 3,000 pediatric annually
20
Global cornea transplants: 185,000 in 2022
21
Amniotic membrane transplants: 100,000/year
22
Hands/arms transplants: 150 cumulative worldwide
23
Face transplants: 46 as of 2023 globally
24
Trachea transplants: 20 experimental worldwide
25
Vagina transplants: 5 reported globally
Interpretation
Organ Specific Statistics Interpretation
In organ specific transplant trends, kidneys dominate at 60% of global transplants, while every other organ drops sharply, with lungs at 3% and hearts at just 4%, showing just how heavily organ donation is concentrated in a few key organs.
More related reading
04 · Category
U.s. National Statistics30 stats
01
In 2023, the United States recorded 46,630 total organ transplants from 21,632 deceased donors and 6,436 living donors
02
As of 2024, there are over 103,000 people on the U.S. national organ transplant waiting list, with kidneys accounting for 87% of the list
03
In 2022, deceased donor organ donation in the U.S. increased by 6.9% to 21,632 donors, marking a record high
04
Living donation in the U.S. reached 6,436 in 2023, with 75% being kidney donations
05
The U.S. organ donation rate per million population (PMP) was 47.5 in 2023, up from 42.1 in 2020
06
From 1988 to 2023, over 1.1 million organ transplants have been performed in the U.S.
07
In 2023, 40,696 deceased donor transplants were performed in the U.S.
08
U.S. states like Florida had the highest deceased donors in 2023 with 1,045
09
Pediatric deceased donation in the U.S. averaged 139 donors per year from 2019-2023
10
U.S. living liver donations totaled 436 in 2023
11
In 2023, 25,220 kidney transplants from deceased donors occurred in the U.S.
12
U.S. heart transplants reached 3,659 in 2023, a 12% increase from 2022
13
Liver transplants in the U.S. hit 10,996 in 2023
14
Lung transplants numbered 2,824 in the U.S. in 2023
15
Pancreas transplants were 1,146 in the U.S. in 2023
16
Intestine transplants totaled 198 in the U.S. in 2023
17
U.S. donor recovery rate for eligible donors was 85.2% in 2023
18
Average wait time for kidney transplant in U.S. was 3.5 years in 2023
19
17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S.
20
95% of U.S. adults support organ donation but only 60% are registered donors
21
U.S. Hispanic/Latino population represents 20% of transplant candidates but 18% of donors
22
In 2023, California led U.S. states with 1,632 deceased donors
23
U.S. multi-organ donors numbered 5,632 in 2023
24
DCD (donation after circulatory death) donors were 7,632 in U.S. 2023
25
Neurological death donors (DBD) were 13,999 in U.S. 2023
26
U.S. transplant centers performed 46,630 transplants in 2023 across 58 centers
27
Kidney paired donation transplants reached 330 in U.S. 2023
28
U.S. organ procurement organizations (OPOs) numbered 56 in 2023, recovering organs from 21,632 donors
29
Preemptive kidney transplants (before dialysis) were 2,400 in U.S. 2023
30
U.S. one-year kidney graft survival rate is 97% for living donors
Interpretation
U.s. National Statistics Interpretation
In the U.S., despite steady growth to 21,632 deceased donors and a higher 47.5 organ transplants per million population in 2023, the national waiting list still tops 103,000 people, with kidneys making up about 87% of those waiting.
05 · Category
Waiting List Statistics25 stats
01
Kidney transplants from deceased donors wait 3-5 years globally average
02
U.S. waiting list: 103,322 as of Jan 2024
03
Global kidney waiting lists exceed 1 million patients
04
Liver waiting list mortality 15-20% annually worldwide
05
U.S. heart waiting list: 3,000 patients average
06
Europe Eurotransplant waiting list: 15,000 active
07
Pediatric waiting list global: 2,000-3,000
08
U.S. kidney waiting time median 4.9 years for adults
09
6,000 patients added to U.S. waiting list monthly
10
Inactive status on U.S. list: 20% of total
11
China waiting list reformed to 300,000 in 2023
12
India NOTTO waiting list: 200,000 kidneys
13
UK kidney waiting list: 7,000, average wait 3 years
14
Australia waiting list: 1,500 active
15
Brazil waiting list removals: 40% die waiting
16
Global annual waiting list deaths: 150,000 estimated
17
U.S. status 1A heart waits: days to weeks
18
Liver MELD score prioritizes U.S. list top 10% get 50% organs
19
40,000 new U.S. listings yearly
20
Women 40% of U.S. waiting list despite higher donor rates
21
Blacks 30% of U.S. kidney list but 13% donors
22
Age 18-49: 40% U.S. waiting list share
23
U.S. 17 deaths/day waiting, 95% kidneys
24
58% of U.S. waiting list are male
25
Hispanic 21% U.S. waiting list
Interpretation
Waiting List Statistics Interpretation
Across waiting list statistics, kidney patients face an average 3 to 5 year global wait as global waiting lists top 1 million people, while the U.S. alone had 103,322 on its list as of January 2024, underscoring how long and crowded demand remains before a transplant becomes possible.
report visual · Comparison
Support vs Registration & Donor Consent
Most people support organ donation, but only a smaller share are registered—and consent rates are higher when a donor is already registered.
95% of U.S. adults support organ donation but only 60% are registered donors95%
91% of U.S. registered donors when family asked consent
91%
75% of U.S. families consent when donor registered
75%
36% of U.S. adults support but not registered donors due to myths
36%
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
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Organ Donor Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/organ-donor-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Organ Donor Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/organ-donor-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Organ Donor Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/organ-donor-statistics.
Sources & references
49 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level