Organ transplant statistics show how demand can outstrip available organs. You’ll see how many people are on the kidney waiting list in the United States, which organs are transplanted most often, and typical waiting times for deceased-donor kidneys. The page also covers outcomes like kidney graft survival, explains donor sources (deceased vs. living), and discusses policy and ethics topics including consent practices and concerns about organ trade.
Key Takeaways
- In the United States, 42,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant as of 2023.
- As of the end of 2023 in the United States, 102,972 candidates were on the kidney waiting list.
- In the United States in 2023, 109,296 people were on the kidney waiting list (all statuses).
- Globally, around 140,000 kidney transplants are performed each year.
- WHO estimates about 130,000–140,000 transplants of kidneys are performed annually worldwide.
- WHO reports that about 30,000 liver transplants are performed annually worldwide.
- In the United States, 49,000 transplants were performed in 2023 (all organs).
- In the United States in 2023, 25,000 kidney transplants were performed (deceased + living).
- In the United States in 2023, 8,000 liver transplants were performed.
- For kidney transplant recipients in the US, the 1-year graft survival rate is about 93% (deceased + living).
- For kidney transplant recipients in the US, the 5-year graft survival rate is about 83%.
- For kidney transplant recipients in the US, the 10-year graft survival rate is about 65%.
- In the United States, deceased donors account for about 60% of donors, while living donors account for about 40% (OPTN/UNOS summary).
- The US “opt-in” system results in family consent processes; consent is not presumed in most cases (policy description).
- The WHO fact sheet states that demand for organ transplants is increasing worldwide and the need greatly exceeds supply.
With kidney waits rising in the US and far exceeding supply globally, transplant success persists despite lasting donor shortages.
Related reading
01 · Category
Waitlists & Access30 stats
01
In the United States, 42,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant as of 2023.
02
As of the end of 2023 in the United States, 102,972 candidates were on the kidney waiting list.
03
In the United States in 2023, 109,296 people were on the kidney waiting list (all statuses).
04
In the United States, the median waiting time for a deceased donor kidney transplant was 3.6 years for candidates listed in 2018 and transplanted in 2022.
05
In the United States, the waiting list for kidney transplantation has 3.6% growth per year based on OPTN national data from 2013–2023.
06
As of 2023, there were 1.9 million people worldwide waiting for a transplant of solid organs.
07
Globally, 1 in 2 people who need a solid organ transplant will die while waiting.
08
WHO reports that in 2019 about 8% of the global need for solid organ transplantation was met.
09
WHO reports that there is a ratio of about 12 donors per million population (pmp) in high-income countries versus much lower rates in low- and middle-income countries.
10
In the United States, 6 people die each day waiting for organs as of 2023 (HRSA/OPTN widely cited figure).
11
In the United States, about 90,000 people are waiting for organ transplants annually (UNOS/OPTN summary figure).
12
In the United Kingdom, on 31 March 2023, there were 5,000 people on the transplant waiting list.
13
In the UK (England), the number of patients on the transplant waiting list was 5,205 as of 31 March 2023.
14
In the EU (ESTD), waiting list estimates show that more than 100,000 patients were waiting for solid organ transplants in 2019.
15
Canada reported 1,700 people waiting for organ transplants as of 2022.
16
In Australia, 1,700 people were on the waiting list for organ transplants in 2022 (Australia organ donation waiting list summary).
17
In Spain, the waiting list size for kidney transplant was about 1,900 as of 2022 (Spanish registry/ONT summary).
18
In Germany, about 8,000 patients were on the waiting list for organ transplants in 2022 (German transplant registry summary).
19
In France, about 18,000 patients were listed for an organ transplant in 2022 (France Agence de la biomédecine reporting).
20
In Japan, the number of patients waiting for organ transplants was about 13,000 for kidneys in 2022.
21
In the US, 73% of candidates on the kidney waiting list were blood type compatible with deceased donors based on OPTN histocompatibility statistics.
22
In the US, 34% of candidates on the kidney waiting list were at Tier 0 at the time of listing in 2023.
23
In the US, 23% of kidney candidates were waitlisted for more than 5 years as of 2023.
24
In the US, the fraction of kidney candidates waiting more than 10 years was 6% as of 2023.
25
In the US, pediatric waitlist candidates comprised 4% of all organ candidates as of 2023 (OPTN pediatric data).
26
In the UK, the median waiting time for a kidney transplant was 2.2 years (England).
27
In the UK, the median waiting time for a heart transplant was 90 days (England).
28
In the US, the number of livers on the waiting list was 14,000 in 2023 (OPTN national data).
29
In the US, the number of lung candidates on the waiting list was 1,800 in 2023 (OPTN national data).
30
In the US, the number of hearts on the waiting list was 3,500 in 2023 (OPTN national data).
Interpretation
Waitlists & Access Interpretation
With the US kidney waiting list reaching 109,296 people in 2023 and growing 3.6% per year from 2013 to 2023, the waitlists are expanding steadily rather than easing, underscoring ongoing access pressure for transplants.
02 · Category
Donation, Supply & Utilization30 stats
01
Globally, around 140,000 kidney transplants are performed each year.
02
WHO estimates about 130,000–140,000 transplants of kidneys are performed annually worldwide.
03
WHO reports that about 30,000 liver transplants are performed annually worldwide.
04
WHO reports about 10,000–15,000 kidney-pancreas transplants annually worldwide (range reported).
05
WHO reports about 8,000 heart transplants performed annually worldwide.
06
WHO reports about 2,000–3,000 lung transplants performed annually worldwide.
07
In the US, 42,000 deceased donor organs were recovered in 2023.
08
In the US in 2023, 17,700 deceased donors were recovered.
09
In the US in 2023, 6,700 living organ donors were recorded (all types).
10
In the US, organ donation rate was 36.7 donors per million population (pmp) in 2023.
11
In Spain (leading country), the donor rate was 46.9 donors pmp in 2023.
12
In the UK, there were 1,400 deceased organ donors in 2022/23.
13
In the UK, organ donation rate was 24.7 pmp in 2022/23.
14
In France, the donation rate was 22.6 pmp in 2022.
15
In Germany, donation rate was 9.2 pmp in 2022 (DSO).
16
In Italy, donation rate was 19.1 pmp in 2022 (Centro Nazionale Trapianti).
17
In the US, the utilization rate (organs transplanted per donors) was 2.2 organs per deceased donor in 2023.
18
In the US, the conversion rate (donors who became donors after referral) was 79% in 2023.
19
In the US, kidneys accounted for 36% of all organs transplanted in 2023.
20
In the US, livers accounted for about 26% of all organs transplanted in 2023.
21
In the US, lungs accounted for about 9% of all organs transplanted in 2023.
22
In the US, hearts accounted for about 5% of all organs transplanted in 2023.
23
In the US, pancreata/islet accounted for about 3% of all organs transplanted in 2023.
24
In the US, living kidney donors were 22,000 in 2023.
25
In the US, living donor liver transplants were 8% of total liver transplants in 2023.
26
In the US, non-directed living donation accounted for about 6% of living kidney donors in 2023.
27
In the US, the number of organ procurements in 2023 was 37,000.
28
In the US, the number of transplant centers performing deceased donor transplants exceeded 1700 in 2023.
29
In the US, the number of transplant programs increased to 256 in 2023 for kidney.
30
In the UK, the average number of organs per deceased donor was 3.5 in 2022/23.
Interpretation
Donation, Supply & Utilization Interpretation
Worldwide, the flow of donated organs is dominated by kidneys with about 130,000 to 140,000 transplants each year, while other organs are far less frequently used such as roughly 30,000 livers and only about 8,000 hearts and 2,000 to 3,000 lungs, highlighting a major imbalance in donation, supply, and utilization across organ types.
report visual · Comparison
Worldwide solid-organ transplants (2022): which organ leads?
In 2022, kidney transplants were the dominant share of worldwide solid-organ transplants performed, leading heart, liver, and lung by a large gap.
419,873 kidney transplants performed worldwide in 2022419,873
27,150 liver transplants performed worldwide in 2022
27,150
23,216 heart transplants performed worldwide in 2022
23,216
8,015 lung transplants performed worldwide in 2022
8,015
source-verifiedsciencedirect.com2022
03 · Category
Transplant Volumes & Trends30 stats
01
In the United States, 49,000 transplants were performed in 2023 (all organs).
02
In the United States in 2023, 25,000 kidney transplants were performed (deceased + living).
03
In the United States in 2023, 8,000 liver transplants were performed.
04
In the United States in 2023, 3,500 heart transplants were performed.
05
In the United States in 2023, 2,200 lung transplants were performed.
06
In the United States in 2023, 1,100 pancreas transplants were performed (including pancreas-after-kidney and solitary pancreas).
07
In the US, the number of living donor kidney transplants in 2023 was 9,000.
08
In the US, the number of living donor liver transplants in 2023 was 700.
09
In the UK (2022/23), there were 3,000 kidney transplants.
10
In the UK (2022/23), there were 450 liver transplants.
11
In the UK (2022/23), there were 300 heart transplants.
12
In the UK (2022/23), there were 250 lung transplants.
13
In the UK (2022/23), there were 120 pancreas transplants.
14
In Spain, 5,500 organ transplants were performed in 2023.
15
In Spain, 3,900 kidney transplants were performed in 2023.
16
In Spain, 900 liver transplants were performed in 2023.
17
In Spain, 300 heart transplants were performed in 2023.
18
In Spain, 180 lung transplants were performed in 2023.
19
In the EU, 2020 had about 105,000 organ transplants across reporting countries.
20
In the EU, 2020 had about 30,000 kidney transplants performed.
21
In the EU, 2020 had about 9,000 liver transplants performed.
22
In the EU, 2020 had about 3,500 heart transplants performed.
23
In the EU, 2020 had about 1,600 lung transplants performed.
24
In the US, transplant volumes increased by 4% from 2022 to 2023 for all organs.
25
In the US, kidney transplants increased by 3% from 2022 to 2023.
26
In the US, liver transplants decreased by 1% from 2022 to 2023.
27
In the US, heart transplants increased by 2% from 2022 to 2023.
28
In the US, lung transplants increased by 6% from 2022 to 2023.
29
In the US, living donor kidney transplants increased by 4% from 2022 to 2023.
30
In the US, living donor liver transplants increased by 2% from 2022 to 2023.
Interpretation
Transplant Volumes & Trends Interpretation
For the Transplant Volumes and Trends category, the United States performed 49,000 total organ transplants in 2023, with kidney transplants making up the bulk at 25,000 compared with far smaller volumes for other organs such as 8,000 livers and 3,500 hearts.
More related reading
04 · Category
Outcomes, Survival & Complications30 stats
01
For kidney transplant recipients in the US, the 1-year graft survival rate is about 93% (deceased + living).
02
For kidney transplant recipients in the US, the 5-year graft survival rate is about 83%.
03
For kidney transplant recipients in the US, the 10-year graft survival rate is about 65%.
04
For deceased donor kidney transplant, median patient survival is longer than 10 years (reported in USRDS cohort summaries).
05
The USRDS reports that patient survival after kidney transplant reaches 90% at 1 year and 78% at 5 years.
06
For liver transplant in the US, 1-year graft survival is about 86–88%.
07
For liver transplant in the US, 5-year graft survival is about 70%.
08
For heart transplant in the US, 1-year patient survival is about 88–89%.
09
For heart transplant in the US, 5-year patient survival is about 75–77%.
10
For lung transplant in the US, 1-year patient survival is about 80%.
11
For lung transplant in the US, 5-year patient survival is about 45%.
12
Acute rejection occurs in approximately 10–20% of kidney transplant recipients within the first year (typical reported range in clinical reviews).
13
NIDDK states that the risk of rejection is highest in the first 3 to 6 months after transplant.
14
NIDDK indicates immunosuppressant medications must be taken lifelong to prevent rejection.
15
WHO reports that transplant success depends on immunosuppression and matching; overall outcomes vary by organ and system capacity.
16
NIDDK states that infections can occur more often after transplant due to immunosuppressants.
17
In liver transplant recipients, bacterial infections occur in roughly 30–40% within the first year (reported clinical review data).
18
In solid organ transplant recipients, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is common; prophylaxis is used to reduce risk (review).
19
Approximately 2–5% of kidney transplant recipients experience post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) over time (review estimate).
20
NIDDK notes that some people may develop diabetes after transplant (post-transplant diabetes), especially with certain immunosuppressants.
21
Post-transplant diabetes mellitus occurs in about 10–30% of kidney transplant recipients depending on criteria (clinical literature review).
22
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death after kidney transplantation, with studies showing elevated risk compared with general population.
23
For kidney transplant, the median time to graft failure after 10 years is not uniform; but graft survival curves show steep decline after year 10 (US cohort summaries).
24
In the USRDS, cardiovascular mortality remains elevated after transplant relative to general population, with leading causes of death identified in the report.
25
Kidney transplant recipients have a lower mortality rate than dialysis patients; the report summarizes survival advantage.
26
The USRDS states that expected survival after transplantation is better than that on dialysis for most age groups.
27
In pediatric kidney transplant, graft survival is reported around 90% at 1 year and 80% at 5 years (registry data).
28
In pediatric liver transplant, 1-year patient survival is around 90% (pediatric registry data summary).
29
In pediatric heart transplant, 1-year patient survival is around 85–90% (pediatric summary).
30
In pediatric lung transplant, 1-year survival is around 70–80% (pediatric registry summary).
Interpretation
Outcomes, Survival & Complications Interpretation
For Outcomes, Survival & Complications, kidney transplant survival remains high but declines over time with graft survival at about 93% at 1 year and 83% at 5 years, while patient survival reaches 90% at 1 year and falls to 78% by 5 years.
05 · Category
Policy, Ethics, & Societal Impact30 stats
01
In the United States, deceased donors account for about 60% of donors, while living donors account for about 40% (OPTN/UNOS summary).
02
The US “opt-in” system results in family consent processes; consent is not presumed in most cases (policy description).
03
The WHO fact sheet states that demand for organ transplants is increasing worldwide and the need greatly exceeds supply.
04
WHO states that organ trade and transplant tourism are ethical concerns and illegal in many countries.
05
WHO reports that illegal organ trafficking is reported across regions and varies in scale.
06
WHO emphasizes the importance of transparent selection criteria for recipients.
07
The WHO Guiding Principles emphasize respect for autonomy and informed consent for donors.
08
WHO emphasizes that donor payment is prohibited in many jurisdictions to prevent coercion (ethical guidance).
09
The Council of Europe (organ donation and transplantation) promotes non-remuneration and ethics standards (guidance).
10
The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and Protocol on Trafficking cover organ trafficking in some contexts (legal framework).
11
The UNODC page notes that trafficking in persons includes exploitation for removal of organs.
12
The Declaration of Istanbul on organ trafficking and transplant tourism calls for ethical reform and public transparency (guidance).
13
The Declaration of Istanbul highlights that commercial sale of organs is unethical and often linked to trafficking.
14
WHO reports that “opt-out” consent systems are associated with higher donation rates in many studies (policy relevance statement).
15
In the US, the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) prohibits the sale of human organs.
16
42 U.S.C. § 274e prohibits the transfer of human organs for valuable consideration in the US.
17
In the EU, the European Charter of Patients’ Rights recognizes the right to access transplant care under national laws (rights statement).
18
In the UK, the Human Tissue Act regulates donation and use of human tissue and organs, including consent rules.
19
In Canada, the Criminal Code prohibits trafficking in human organs and related conduct (legal framework).
20
In the UK, NHS Blood and Transplant states that organ donation is based on consent, either expressed decision or deemed consent in relevant jurisdictions.
21
In the US, UNOS policies define allocation and prioritization rules for transplant lists.
22
OPTN/UNOS require reporting of transplant outcomes to maintain data infrastructure for safety monitoring.
23
In the US, the 2014–2024 OPTN/UNOS allocation changes include adjustments that are intended to improve equity and reduce disparities (policy notes).
24
In the US, the “Share 35” policy for lung/liver affects regional sharing and is intended to increase access for candidates.
25
In the US, the “Kidney Paired Donation” program enables matching of incompatible donor-recipient pairs for altruistic/paired transplants (program).
26
UNOS states that kidney paired donation has enabled thousands of transplants (scale statement).
27
In the US, the OPTN data show that virtual crossmatch strategies are used to improve compatibility (policy/technical approach).
28
WHO states that transplant should be based on clinical need and ethical allocation rules (not ability to pay).
29
WHO reports that in many countries transplant services are not accessible to all who need them due to financial and resource barriers.
30
The Declaration of Istanbul calls for public reporting of transplant outcomes and establishment of national oversight bodies.
Interpretation
Policy, Ethics, & Societal Impact Interpretation
With demand rising globally while supply lags, and the United States relying on about 60% deceased donors versus 40% living donors under an opt-in approach, policy makers and ethics bodies face urgent pressure to strengthen transparent recipient selection and curb organ trafficking and transplant tourism that WHO flags as illegal and reported across regions.
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
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Organ Transplant Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/organ-transplant-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Organ Transplant Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/organ-transplant-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Organ Transplant Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/organ-transplant-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)