04/01/2026
The following info is from Donate Life.Net
● In 2025, more than 49,000 transplants from 23,788 donors brought renewed life to patients
and their families and communities.
● More than 100,000 people are waiting on the national transplant waiting list for lifesaving
organ transplants.
● Nearly 60% of patients on the national transplant waiting list are from multicultural
communities.
● Another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list every 8 minutes.
● 13 people die each day while waiting for a transplant. Over 5,600 people in the U.S die each
year while on the transplant waiting list.
● 86% 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 increase in size, doing the work of two healthy kidneys).
● 9% 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 within 4 months and regain
full function).
● More than 40% of all deceased donors are age 50 or older; 9% are age 65 or older.
● A single tissue donor can help more than 75 people.
● More than 85,000 corneal transplants helped to restore sight.
● More than 170 million people are registered organ, eye and tissue donors. *
* Living donation is not included in your deceased donor registration.
Go to RegisterMe.org to register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.
Learn more about organ, eye, tissue and living donation at DonateLife.net.
Data sources:
Data from Donate Life America EOY 2025 Registry Overview Report, and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), as of January 2026.
