Spain reaffirms its global leadership in organ donation

Spain has reaffirmed its global leadership in deceased organ donation, with 2,562 donors in 2024, representing 24% of all donations in the European Union (EU) and 5% of those registered worldwide. This is a remarkable figure considering that Spain represents only 11% of the European population and 0.6% of the global population.

This is evident from the latest report from the World Observatory of Donation and Transplantation Registry, managed by the National Transplant Organization (ONT), which indicates that Spain recorded a rate of 53.9 deceased donors per million population (pmp), followed by the United States, with 49.7 donors pmp.

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From all donations, national hospitals performed a total of 6,463 transplants, representing a rate of 136.1 transplants pmp, a figure surpassed only by the United States, with 143.2 transplants pmp and a total of 48,935 operations.

The Ministry of Health specifies that this difference is explained by the increased live donation activity in the United States and a younger deceased donor profile with more preventable causes of death.

Health In 2024, 173,286 organ transplants were performed worldwide.

Focusing further, the report also highlights that 173,286 organ transplants were performed worldwide last year, representing a 2% increase compared to the previous year. This record high was due to the expansion of asystole donation, which occurs after death from cardiorespiratory arrest, which increased by 17%. Spain led this type of donation with 1,316 asystole donors, providing 50% of all donors in the EU and 10% of all donors worldwide, with a rate of 27.7 pmp.

Regarding transplants performed from non-heart-beating donors, Spain also led the way, with 59.8 interventions pmp, followed by the United States and the Netherlands. Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, director general of the ONT, emphasized that Spain has maintained its global leadership "for more than three consecutive decades" and underscored the country's privileged position in terms of access to transplant therapy.

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For her part, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, expressed her commitment to continuing to improve the transplant system. She stated that these figures should be a "great source of pride" in Spain and a commitment to innovation. She emphasized that this system, along with the solidarity of the population and the "excellent" work of healthcare professionals, enable Spain to become a global leader.

Of the 173,286 transplants registered in the 91 countries that have provided their data, 110,021 were kidney transplants (37% from living donors); 42,494 were liver transplants (23% from living donors); 10,286 were heart transplants; 8,236 were lung transplants; 2,075 were pancreas transplants; and 174 were intestinal transplants. As in 2023, the largest increase was recorded in lung transplants, which grew by six percent, followed by liver transplants (5%), heart transplants (2%), and pancreas transplants (2%).

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These procedures were made possible thanks to the 47,175 people who donated their organs after death and the 50,588 who donated an organ while alive (40,706 kidneys, 9,864 livers, and 18 lungs).

In the EU, 10,847 deceased donors and 3,581 living donors were registered, with a total of 32,222 transplants, exceeding the 2023 figures by more than 5%. Spain led the PMP donor rate, followed by Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Belgium.

Latin America maintained a stable level of transplant activity in 2024, with 6,023 deceased donors and 17,432 transplants. Uruguay led the region, followed by Argentina and Brazil. China and India stood out for their transplant volume, with 24,684 and 18,911 surgeries, respectively. Other countries with high activity were Brazil, Turkey, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Canada, and Mexico.