Living donation
Did you know that a friend or loved one can be a living donor? Most often, friends or family can donate a kidney. Living donors can also donate liver segments or a lobe from a lung though these are less frequent.
A friend from the 6th grade stepped forward to donate a kidney. Learn about living donation >
Living organ donation dates back to 1954, when a kidney from one twin was successfully transplanted into his identical brother. Today, the number of living organ donors is more than 6,000 per year. And one in four of these donors isn’t biologically related to the recipient.
By offering a kidney, or portion of the liver, living donors offer their loved one or friend an alternative to waiting on the national transplant waiting list for an organ from a deceased donor. To learn more about living organ donation, choose an option below:
Transplants By Donor Type - All Organs
January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2018
Based on OPTN data as of February 18, 2019
| Year | Deceased Donor Transplants | Living Donor Transplants |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 134,603 | 30,820 |
| 2018 | 29,680 | 6,849 |
| 2017 | 28,588 | 6,182 |
| 2016 | 27,630 | 5,980 |
| 2015 | 24,985 | 5,989 |
| 2014 | 23,720 | 5,820 |
Data subject to change based on future data submission or correction.