New figures, released today (9 July) by NHS Blood and Transplant reveal that 8,096 people (including 276 children) were on the active transplant waiting list as of 31 March 2025. This is the highest number on record and almost 7,000 (6,939) of those are waiting for a kidney transplant.
With a further 3,883 temporarily suspended because they are either currently unfit for transplant or temporarily unavailable – that means almost 12,000 people are living in daily uncertainty, unsure if they will get the organ they need to save their life. Last year saw over 100 fewer deceased organ donors, a 2 per cent drop in life-saving transplants compared to the previous year.
The Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Activity Report, published today, shows that in 2024/25:
- 4,583 patients received organ transplants – 2 per cent less than the previous year
- 1,403 people donated organs after death – a 7 per cent decrease on the year before
- Living donors now account for over 40 per cent of all organ donations with 991 people donating a kidney or part of their liver.
Too many people are dying needlessly whilst waiting for an organ
Fiona Loud, Policy Director at Kidney Care UK, and recipient of a kidney transplant from a living donor, said:
"The UK is not where we want it to be with organ donation. Sadly, the transplant waiting list is now the longest it has ever been, and we need to act to ensure the number of people waiting for a transplant is reduced. Too many people are dying needlessly whilst waiting for an organ so we are calling on the government to launch a UK-wide awareness campaign and education programme to help people understand how organ donation works and how they can register their organ donation decision.
"The increases in the number of people with diabetes and high blood pressure, both leading causes of kidney disease, plus the lag in detection during the pandemic are a perfect storm for kidney failure. With prevention being a key part of the NHS 10-year plan, a focus on kidney disease – and how we identify those at risk and prioritise early identification and prevention – will play a huge part in helping reduce the number of people who need a transplant. This will be better for people, better for the NHS, better for the economy, the environment and society at large. Action is needed now on promotion and prevention to reduce the waiting list and help save lives in 2025 and for the future."
Organ donation is an amazing thing to do. You can save a life, please do it.
One of those waiting for a transplant is Lynne Cordery, a mum of two from London. The 51-year-old is waiting for a kidney transplant after complications following a heart transplant to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 2022.
I am so grateful to my heart donor, people are amazing, I think of him all the time, especially on special occasions. Because of my donor I’ve seen my son turn 18 and my daughter turn 16 and enjoyed other birthdays, Christmases. I need a kidney now and then I can really live life. Waiting is a limbo time, I can’t work, I don’t go on holiday, socialising is hard, and my life revolves around dialysis three days a week and the restrictions it brings. Dialysis is keeping me alive, but it is not a nice life. I’ve got to do it, I have no choice, but it is not living. I am scared I won’t get my transplant, the waiting list being so high is scary… Organ donation is an amazing thing to do. You can save a life, please do it.Heart transplant recipient Lynne Cordery, who is now waiting for a kidney transplant
NHS Organ Donor Register consent rates and transplant waiting list reduction
Consent rates from families who are asked to support donation when their loved one dies remain low at 59%. Last year, 173 families overruled their relative’s registered or expressed decision to donate. In a further 520 cases, families did not support donation where the law presumes consent – meaning their loved one had not registered to opt out but also hadn’t expressed any decision. Under the ‘opt-out’ system donation can still only go ahead with the family’s support, which is why it remains so important to have the conversation and leave your loved ones certain of your wishes.
Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, Anthony Clarkson, is urging people to take action by registering their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and having that vital conversation with loved ones.
He said: "We are facing an incredibly concerning situation where more people than ever are waiting for transplants, but fewer donations are taking place. Tragically, someone will die today waiting for a transplant – we urgently need more people to register their decision to donate and to have these vital conversations with their families.
“To truly reduce the transplant waiting list, we need to take action across all aspects of organ donation and transplantation. That means modernising the NHS Organ Donor Register, having more clarity about what the law change really means and investing in innovative technologies that preserve and treat organs to improve transplant success rates.”