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2022: A year of livesaving milestones

The generosity of selfless donors and their families make multiple lifesaving records possible

In brief:

  • The U.S. surpassed 1 million transplants in 2022. Here’s how our community will reach the next million
  • More than 42,800 organ transplants performed in 2022, again setting annual record
  • Total kidney transplants exceeded 25,000 for the first year ever
  • Annual records also set for liver, heart and lung transplants
  • Deceased donation continues 12-year record trend

Read the news release

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2021

All-time records again set in 2021 for organ transplants, organ donation from deceased donors

In 2021, 41,354 organ transplants were performed in the United States, an increase of 5.9 percent over 2020 and the first time the annual total exceeded 40,000.

Read the 2021 news release

2020

Annual record trend continues for deceased organ donation, deceased donor transplants

Despite a 50% drop in deceased donor transplantation early in the pandemic, the U.S. system proved its strength and resilience by recovering quickly and continuing to outperform itself.

Read the 2020 news release

2019

Organ donation again sets record

Nearly 11,900 people provided the lifesaving gift of organ donation upon their death last year, making 2019 the ninth consecutive record-breaking year for deceased donation in the United States.

Read the 2019 news release.

Continuous improvement

As good as the U.S. organ transplantation system is, it needs to be even better to be able to serve the more than 100,000 people waiting for organs at any given time. UNOS is committed to driving continuous improvement to serve those patients and promote an ongoing increase in organ donation and transplants.

“We can do better, we must do better, and we will do better.”

Maureen McBride, Ph.D., UNOS CEO

Action Agenda

Actions to strengthen the U.S. organ donation and transplant system

Driving improvements, together

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