Transplant trends
2021: More organ transplants than ever in a single year
Thanks to the gift of life from organ donors and their families, the number of deceased organ donors and deceased-donor organ transplants performed in 2020 and 2021 in the United States reached all-time highs.
2021: Record-setting streak continues. See the year-end data highlights.2021: More organ transplants than ever in a single year
Thanks to the gift of life from organ donors and their families, the number of deceased organ donors and deceased-donor organ transplants performed in 2020 and 2021 in the United States reached all-time highs.
Record 40,000 transplants honors legacy of donors. Read more.
Continuous improvement
The U.S. system for organ donation and recovery is among the best in the world. But there is more that we can and must do. UNOS works with the organ donation and transplant community to drive improvement and save more lives.
12 things UNOS is doing to get the right organ to the right patient at the right time
2021 donors, deceased and living
donors
Total Donors January - December 2021 as of 01/18/20222021 transplants
transplants performed this year
Total Transplants January - December 2021 as of 01/18/2022
2021: 11th consecutive record-breaking year
More than 13,800
deceased donors in 2021
Even with a 34.7% increase in deceased donation over the last five years, the need for organ donors is immense.
Data reports
UNOS’ online database, UNetSM, contains Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network data regarding every organ donation and transplant event occurring in the U.S. since October 1, 1987. It enables the donation and transplantation community to cooperatively and efficiently share the limited number of donated organs.
Click below to view the type of data you want to explore.
OPTN metrics dashboard for donation and transplant trends
More than 6,500
living donor transplants in 2021
The number of living donor transplants has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But living donor transplants have increased 14.2 percent over the 2020 total.
Omar was gifted “a second shot at life” when his brother became his living liver donor.
Transplants by organ type
In total, health care teams across the country performed 41,354* transplants with organs from both deceased and living donors in 2021. Here, see the percentage change from between 2020 and 2021 by organ type.
Kidney
8.1%
2021: 24,669
2020: 22,817
Liver
3.7%
2021: 9,236
2020: 8,906
Heart
4.3%
2021: 3,817
2020: 3,658
Lung
0.6%
2021: 2,524
2020: 2,539
Pancreas
5.9%
2021: 143
2020: 135
Kidney-pancreas
0.8%
2021: 820
2020: 827
Intestine
5.5%
2021: 96
2020: 91
Heart-lung
22.4%
2021: 45
2020: 58
Vascular composite allograft
20%
2021: 4
2020: 5
*Based on OPTN data as of Jan. 10, 2022. Data subject to change based on future data submission or correction.
Facts about organ transplantation
- The national organ transplant system
- UNOS fast facts
- 2021: All-time records again set for organ transplants, organ donation from deceased donors
- FAQs about UNOS' role in the system
- Organ Procurement Organizations: Increasing organ donation
- Improving Organ Procurement and Oversight
- Improving access for liver allocation
- Improving access for kidney and pancreas allocation
- Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health
- UNOS LabsSM: Testing products, tools and methods to improve the transplant system
- 12 things UNOS is doing to get the right organ to the right patient at the right time