While thousands of lives are saved through organ transplants each year, an astonishing gap remains, with over 103,000 people still waiting for a second chance.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, 25,732 kidney transplants were performed in the United States, accounting for approximately 55% of all solid organ transplants.
- As of January 2024, there were 85,633 candidates on the kidney waiting list in the US.
- The median wait time for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor in the US is 3.5 years for adults aged 18-50.
- In 2022, 6,217 liver transplants were performed in the United States.
- As of 2024, 10,945 patients were active on the US liver waiting list.
- Median MELD at transplant for liver was 28.5 in 2022.
- In 2022, 3,313 heart transplants were performed in the US.
- US heart waiting list had 3,249 active candidates in January 2024.
- Median wait time for heart transplant was 2.5 months in 2022.
- In the US, 40,000 organ transplants occurred in 2023, up 6% from prior year.
- Over 103,000 candidates on US solid organ waiting lists as of 2024.
- 2022 deceased donors yielded 1.27 organs per donor on average.
- 1-year graft survival averaged 93% across organs.
- Kidney half-life 12.5 years for deceased donor grafts.
- Liver 1-year patient survival 92.5% overall.
Kidney transplants are common yet many wait years for a donor.
Donation and Waiting List Statistics
- In the US, 40,000 organ transplants occurred in 2023, up 6% from prior year.
- Over 103,000 candidates on US solid organ waiting lists as of 2024.
- 2022 deceased donors yielded 1.27 organs per donor on average.
- Living donors totaled 6,449 in US 2022.
- DCD donors increased to 7,333 in 2022, 36% of deceased donors.
- Global organ transplants ~150,000 annually per WHO.
- US donor designation rate 61% among eligible adults.
- Pediatric candidates 2% of waiting list but 10% mortality rate.
- OPO performance varied, top OPOs yield 4 organs/donor.
- Spain leads with 48 pmp donors.
- 17 people die daily waiting in US.
- Authorization rates for donation 70.2% families in 2022.
- Public campaigns increased registration 5% YoY.
- Elderly donors (>70) utilized in 15% cases 2022.
- Australia DBD/DCD ratio 60/40 in 2022.
- HCV+ donors increased 50x since 2018 policy change.
- Waiting list mortality 6.9% pre-transplant.
- UK donors 1,964 in 2022/23, pmp 29.
- Canada 518 deceased donors in 2022.
- Multi-organ donors 2,500 in US 2022.
- Inactivated waiting list 30% due to death or too sick.
- Donation after circulatory death 40% in Europe avg.
- Hispanic donors 19% of total in US.
- Pre-emptive transplants 10% of total.
Donation and Waiting List Statistics Interpretation
While we celebrated a 6% increase in transplants last year, the sobering truth is that the 17 people who die each day waiting are starkly outnumbered by the 103,000 still on the list, a cruel math where even record-setting generosity cannot close the gap fast enough.
Heart and Lung Transplantation Statistics
- In 2022, 3,313 heart transplants were performed in the US.
- US heart waiting list had 3,249 active candidates in January 2024.
- Median wait time for heart transplant was 2.5 months in 2022.
- DCD heart transplants reached 67 in the US in 2023 pilot.
- Lung transplants totaled 2,641 in the US in 2022.
- Eurotransplant performed 602 heart transplants in 2022.
- Heart discard rate was 28.4% in 2022.
- 1-year survival for heart transplants was 91.5% for 2018-2020.
- Pediatric heart transplants had 92.3% 1-year survival.
- Double lung transplants comprised 85% of lung procedures in 2022.
- LAS median score at transplant for lungs was 45.2 in 2022.
- Global heart transplants estimated at 10,000 annually.
- HeartMate 3 LVAD bridged 45% of heart transplants in 2022.
- Lung transplant rate pmp was 7.2 in US 2022.
- 5-year survival for lungs was 54.3% for 2017 cohort.
- Australia had 92 heart and 57 lung transplants in 2022.
- Ex-vivo lung perfusion used in 15% of marginal lungs 2022.
- Female recipients 32% of heart transplants.
- UK heart transplants 247, lungs 305 in 2022/23.
- Heart allocation status 1-6 revised policy increased equity 10%.
- Canada heart transplants 74, lungs 104 in 2022.
- Combined heart-lung transplants 25 in US 2022.
- Pulmonary hypertension caused 25% of lung transplants.
- Donor age >50 discarded 45% of hearts.
- ECMO support pre-transplant in 12% of hearts 2022.
- IPF accounted for 28% of lung transplants.
Heart and Lung Transplantation Statistics Interpretation
The statistics reveal a hearteningly efficient system – with remarkably short wait times and high survival rates – grappling with the heartbreaking arithmetic of a 28% heart discard rate and the sobering limitations of organ availability, where for every three lives transformed, a fourth potential gift goes unclaimed.
Kidney Transplantation Statistics
- In 2022, 25,732 kidney transplants were performed in the United States, accounting for approximately 55% of all solid organ transplants.
- As of January 2024, there were 85,633 candidates on the kidney waiting list in the US.
- The median wait time for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor in the US is 3.5 years for adults aged 18-50.
- Living donor kidney transplants increased by 4% from 2021 to 2022, totaling 6,069 procedures.
- Preemptive kidney transplants, performed before dialysis, made up 22% of living donor kidney transplants in 2022.
- In Europe, 22,000 kidney transplants were performed in 2022 according to Eurotransplant data.
- The discard rate for deceased donor kidneys in the US was 21.3% in 2022.
- Pediatric kidney transplants had a 1-year graft survival rate of 97.5% from 2018-2020.
- ABO-incompatible kidney transplants numbered 217 in the US in 2022.
- Kidney paired donation exchanges facilitated 338 transplants in 2022 via NKDP.
- In 2023, India performed over 12,000 kidney transplants annually.
- The cold ischemic time for kidney transplants averaged 20.4 hours in the US in 2022.
- Dual kidney transplants from marginal donors numbered 217 in 2022.
- Kidney transplant rates for Black patients were 28.5 per 100 waitlist years in 2022.
- Women received 41% of all kidney transplants in the US in 2022.
- Hepatitis C positive kidneys transplanted to HCV-negative recipients increased 300% since 2019.
- The US kidney transplant rate per million population was 70.2 in 2022.
- Chain kidney transplants from paired donation averaged 4.5 donors per chain in 2022.
- 5-year graft survival for living donor kidneys was 91.2% for 2017-2019 transplants.
- Kidney transplants from DCD donors were 2,318 in 2022.
- Australia reported 1,083 kidney transplants in 2022 with a pmp rate of 42.
- En bloc kidney transplants from pediatric donors numbered 142 in 2022.
- Kidney transplant volume grew 6% YoY in 2023 per preliminary UNOS data.
- 18% of kidney transplants in 2022 used machine perfusion preservation.
- Hispanic patients had a kidney transplant rate of 32.1 per 100 WL years in 2022.
- Simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplants totaled 190 in 2022.
- UK performed 3,265 kidney transplants in 2022/23.
- KDPI >85% kidneys had utilization rate of 12% in 2022.
- Living unrelated donor kidneys comprised 33% of living donations in 2022.
- Canada had 1,487 kidney transplants in 2022 per CORR.
Kidney Transplantation Statistics Interpretation
While the transplant community performed the remarkable ballet of 25,732 U.S. kidney transplants in 2022, the harsh choreography is that a still-growing waitlist of 85,633 patients and a 3.5-year median wait forces an agonizing race against time, where innovation fights a 21.3% discard rate to lift hopeful figures like a 97.5% one-year pediatric success rate, and where every gain—from a 4% rise in living donations to 338 paired exchanges and a 300% surge in using Hepatitis C-positive kidneys—is a vital but incremental step in closing the cruel arithmetic gap between life-saving supply and desperate demand.
Liver Transplantation Statistics
- In 2022, 6,217 liver transplants were performed in the United States.
- As of 2024, 10,945 patients were active on the US liver waiting list.
- Median MELD at transplant for liver was 28.5 in 2022.
- Living donor liver transplants totaled 356 in the US in 2022.
- DCD liver transplants numbered 901 in 2022, 14.5% of total livers.
- Europe saw 9,183 liver transplants in 2022 via Eurotransplant and Scandiatransplant.
- Liver discard rate was 15.2% for deceased donor livers in 2022.
- 1-year patient survival for adult liver transplants was 93.2% for 2018-2020 recipients.
- Pediatric liver transplants had 93.9% 1-year graft survival in recent data.
- Split liver transplants numbered 117 in the US in 2022.
- India performed approximately 2,500 liver transplants in 2023.
- Average cold ischemia time for livers was 6.8 hours in 2022.
- HCV-negative recipients of HCV-positive livers increased to 1,200 in 2022.
- Liver transplant rate per million was 14.5 in the US in 2022.
- Status 1A liver transplants dropped 20% due to ECMO advancements.
- 5-year survival for liver transplants was 75.8% for DBLD recipients 2017-2019.
- Australia reported 289 liver transplants in 2022.
- Machine perfusion use for livers rose to 25% in 2022.
- Black patients had liver transplant rate of 12.3 per 100 WL years.
- Women received 42% of liver transplants in 2022.
- Simultaneous liver-kidney transplants totaled 789 in 2022.
- UK liver transplants numbered 1,060 in 2022/23.
- MELD >35 livers had 1-year survival of 88.4%.
- Living donor liver for adults grew 15% in 2022.
- Canada performed 339 liver transplants in 2022.
- ALDH2 genotype impacts liver transplant outcomes in Asians, with 20% lower rejection.
- 3-way split livers were performed in 5 cases in Europe 2022.
Liver Transplantation Statistics Interpretation
While the liver transplant waiting list grows twice as large as the annual number of procedures performed—a sobering game of musical chairs—the field is ingeniously stretching each precious organ through technology, living donors, and bold protocols, achieving over 93% one-year survival against the odds.
Survival and Outcome Statistics
- 1-year graft survival averaged 93% across organs.
- Kidney half-life 12.5 years for deceased donor grafts.
- Liver 1-year patient survival 92.5% overall.
- Heart 5-year survival 75.2% for recent transplants.
- Lung median survival 6.7 years post-transplant.
- Rejection-free survival 80% at 1-year for kidneys.
- CMV prophylaxis reduced infections 50% in transplants.
- Re-transplant survival 85% of primary graft rates.
- Immunosuppression adherence impacts 20% graft losses.
- Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder 3-5% incidence.
- Diabetes post-kidney transplant 10% new onset.
- 10-year survival pancreas after kidney 70%.
- Malignancy risk 2x general population post-transplant.
- Pediatric outcomes 95% 1-year survival all organs.
- HLA matching improves kidney survival 5-10%.
- BK nephropathy affects 5% kidney grafts.
- Cardiac allograft vasculopathy 50% by 10 years.
- BOS in lungs 50% by 5 years.
- Long-term liver survival 60% at 20 years.
- Gender mismatch reduces survival 3-5%.
- Obesity BMI>35 halves transplant eligibility.
- mTOR inhibitors reduce skin cancer 40%.
- Australia 1-year survival 94% kidneys.
- UK graft survival kidney 93% 1-year.
- Conditional survival improves 10% after 1-year.
- AI predicts graft failure with 85% accuracy.
Survival and Outcome Statistics Interpretation
Transplant statistics reveal a medical high-wire act where brilliant success in the short term—evidenced by stellar survival rates—slowly gives way to the long grind of managing chronic rejection, side effects, and the sobering math of attrition.
Sources & References
- Reference 1OPTNoptn.transplant.hrsa.govVisit source
- Reference 2SRTRsrtr.transplant.hrsa.govVisit source
- Reference 3UNOSunos.orgVisit source
- Reference 4EUROTRANSPLANTeurotransplant.orgVisit source
- Reference 5NOTTOnotto.mohfw.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 6WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 7ANZDATAanzdata.org.auVisit source
- Reference 8NHSBTnhsbt.nhs.ukVisit source
- Reference 9CIHIcihi.caVisit source
- Reference 10PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 11ISHLTishlt.orgVisit source
- Reference 12ONTont.esVisit source
- Reference 13DONATELIFEdonatelife.netVisit source
- Reference 14NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source