Total global kidney transplants by region 2022

In 2022, the Americas reported the highest number of kidney transplants in the world. That year there were around 39,196 kidney transplants in the Americas, compared to 25,329 transplants in Europe, and 18,219 in the Western Pacific. Organ donation can be given through both a deceased and living donor if blood and oxygen are flowing through the organs until the time of recovery to ensure viability.

What are the most transplanted organs?

The most frequently transplanted organs worldwide are kidneys, livers, and hearts. However, kidneys account for the majority of organ transplantations with 65 percent of transplantations in 2022 involving kidneys. That year, around 24 percent of transplants were for livers and just six percent were for hearts. The rate of kidney transplants worldwide has increased over the past few years reaching 17.1 transplants per million population in 2022, compared to a rate of 11.1 per million population in 2012. In 2022, there were a total of 102,090 kidney transplants worldwide.

Organ transplants in the United States

In 2022, there were 42,889 organ transplants in the United States, the highest number ever recorded. At that time, the rate of kidney transplants from living donors in the U.S. was 17.5 per million population, a slight decrease from a rate of 19.6 per million population in the year 2008. However, rates of liver, heart, and lung transplantations all increased over this period. Nevertheless, over 100,000 people in the U.S. are currently waiting for an organ transplantation, highlighting the need for organ donation. Around 88,800 of these candidates are waiting for a kidney transplantation.