More People Offering the “Gift of Life” Through Organ Donation

With so much news lately about growing animosity between one group or another in America, it’s comforting to know that the number of people willing to extend the life of a total stranger through organ donation has been steadily increasing in recent years.

Based on data tracked by the Organ Procurement and Transportation Network, organ donations have grown continuously for more than a decade, increasing 8.7% between 2022 and 2023 alone, when a record 46,000 transplants were performed, according to the network. It’s expected to increase as chronic diseases, such as diabetes, afflict more people. 

According to the report there were:

• More than 16,000 deceased organ donors, hitting a new annual record that maintains a 13-year trend
• More than 10,000 transplant recipients who were Black, non-Hispanic
• More than 10,000 liver transplants performed for the first time
• More than 3,000 lung transplants performed for the first time
• New annual records also set for kidney and heart transplants

In addition to deceased organ donors, 6,953 people became living organ donors – the third highest annual total and the highest since the all-time record in 2019.

Ninety percent of living donor transplants are kidney transplants. However, living donor liver transplants have increased steadily over the past two years, with 658 transplants in 2023 – a new record.

Older Living Donors are Increasing

While most living donors tend to skew younger on average than deceased donors, the percentage of older living donors has been on the rise. Within the most common age range – 35 to 49 – there were 2,720 living donors in 2023, which was nearly an 8 percent increase.

However, there were 2,495 donations by people who were 50 or older, and at 12.1%, the rate of increase was higher than the younger group. Living donors between the ages of 18 and 34 comprise the third most common group, with an increase of only 1.1 percent over the previous year.