National Donate Life Month statistics

National Donate Life Month April 2018

Donation and Transplantation Statistics

— In 2016, more than 33,600 transplants brought renewed life to patients and their families and communities (from 9,900 deceased and 5,900 living donors.

 

— More than 116,000 men, women and children await lifesaving organ transplants.

 

— About 58 percent of patients awaiting lifesaving transplants are minorities.

 

— Another person is added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list every 10 minutes.

— Sadly, 8,000 people die each year (22 people each day — almost one person every hour) because the organs they need are donated in time.

— 80 percent of patients on the waiting list are waiting for a kidney. The average waiting time for a kidney from a deceased donor is 3 to 5 years. A kidney from a living donor offers patients an alternative to years of dialysis and time on the national transplant waiting list (the living donor’s remaining kidney will enlarge, doing the work of two healthy kidneys).

 

— 12 percent of patients waiting are in need of a liver. Living donation of part of the liver can help these patients (the remaining portion of the donor liver will regenerate and regain full function).

 

— Nearly one-third of all deceased donors are age 50 or older; more than 7 percent are age 65 or older.

 

— Each year, there are approximately 30,000 tissue donors and more than 1.75 million tissue transplants; the surgical need for donated tissue is steadily rising.

— A single tissue donor can help more than 75 people.

 

— 48,000 patients have their sight restored through corneal transplants each year.

 

— More than 138 million people, approximately 56 percent of the U.S. adult population, are registered organ, eye and tissue donors.*

 

— To register your decision and to save and heal lives, visit RegisterMe.org. To learn more about organ, eye and tissue and living donation, visit DonateLife.net.

 

*Living donation is not included in a donor registration.

 

Data from the Donate Life American Quarterly Donor Designation Report and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) as of Jan. 1 2018