8 min
Another Name Added
Every 8 minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list. By the time you finish reading this page, at least one more person will be waiting.
Live Organ Donation Data
The numbers are
someone's whole world.
Behind every statistic is a person waiting for a second chance. This page uses live OPTN data to show the reality of organ donation in America, updated in real time.
Since you arrived0:00
People added to the waitlist0
Next person added in8:00
Every 8 minutes, another person is added to the national transplant waiting list. 13 people will die today waiting for an organ that never comes.
Live Dashboard
National transplant data, updated in real time.
These figures are pulled directly from the OPTN data page operated by HRSA. They reflect the current state of organ donation and transplantation across the United States.
Loading live OPTN donation data...
The Human Cost
Every number represents a life in the balance.
13
Deaths Per Day
Thirteen people die every day waiting for an organ transplant that never comes. That's one person roughly every two hours . That's every single day of the year.
3 in 1,000
Eligible Deaths
Only 3 in every 1,000 people die in a way that allows for organ donation, specifically brain death while on life support. That's why every single registered donor matters.
90%
Support, 60% Act
Nine out of ten Americans say they support organ donation. But only six out of ten have actually registered. The gap between intention and action costs lives every day.
Waitlist Breakdown
103,000+ people are waiting. Here's who they are.
The national transplant waiting list is overwhelmingly dominated by people who need a kidney, making up 85% of all candidates. Average wait times vary dramatically by organ type.
Kidney89,000+
3–5 years avg waitLiver9,400+
~16 months avg waitHeart3,400+
~11 months avg waitLung900+
~10 months avg waitPancreas850+
~19 months avg waitKidney/Pancreas combined transplants (~2,100 candidates) not shown separately. Source: OPTN national data, updated periodically.
Progress & Urgency
We're saving more lives than ever. It's still not enough.
Organ transplants have increased every year since 2013. In 2024, we hit a record 48,149 transplants, but the waitlist continues to grow.
| Year | Transplants | Total Donors | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 39,000 | 18,200 | |
| 2021 | 41,000 | 20,000 | |
| 2022 | 42,800 | 21,300 | |
| 2023 | 46,600 | 23,700 | |
| 2024 | 48,149 | 24,018 |
+87% increase in organ donors over the last decade, yet 103,000+ people still wait. The demand for organs continues to outpace the supply roughly 2:1.
Health Equity
The transplant crisis doesn't affect everyone equally.
Racial Disparity
14% of the population, 27% of the waitlist
Black and African Americans are disproportionately represented on the transplant waiting list due to higher rates of kidney disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Despite making up 14% of the U.S. population, they account for 27% of all waitlist candidates.
Authorization Gap
1,800+ potential donors lost each year
Research shows that disparities in the organ procurement process, from hospital referral to family authorization, result in the loss of more than 1,800 potential donors annually. 70% of those lost donors would have been Black.
Trust Barrier
Education builds trust and saves lives
Studies show 38.6% of African Americans worry that being a registered donor might affect their medical care, compared to 25.9% of other groups. Community-based, culturally competent education is proven to close this gap.
The Power of One
One donor. Eight lives saved. 75+ lives healed.
A single organ donor can save up to 8 lives through organ donation. When you include tissue, cornea, and bone marrow donation, one person can save and heal more than 75 people.
2
Kidneys
1
Liver
1
Heart
2
Lungs
1
Pancreas
1
Intestine
2
Corneas
50+
Tissues & Bones
About This Data
All live figures on this page are sourced directly from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), operated by HRSA under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Waitlist data is updated daily
- Transplant and donor counts are updated monthly
- Historical context sourced from OPTN, UNOS, HRSA, Donate Life America, and peer-reviewed research
- Health equity data from the HHS Office of Minority Health and the American Journal of Transplantation
Turn Data Into Action
These numbers only change when people act. Register as an organ donor in under two minutes, or support ODAP's education mission to reach more communities with lifesaving information.