Organ Donation and Transplantation Facts

• Over 84,000 U.S. patients are currently on the waiting list for an organ transplant.
• Over 54,000 of these patients are waiting for a kidney transplant.
• Every 90 minutes, someone dies while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ.
• Acceptable organ donors can range in age from newborn to 65 years or more.
• An estimated 10,000 to 14,000 people who die each year meet the criteria for organ donation, but less than half of that number become actual organ donors.
• 35 percent of potential donors never become donors because family members refuse to give consent.
• Every 14 minutes another name is added to the national transplant waiting list.
• Organ transplant demand rises 5 times as fast as supply.