CIHI: Annual statistics on organ donation and transplant
While Canada has made improvements in the donation and transplantation of life-saving organs over the past decade, there remains a large gap between the need for organs and the number of donors and of transplants performed. As a result, organ failure patients often experience lengthy wait times, with some patients dying before a suitable organ becomes available .
Annual statistics on organ replacement in Canada, 2013 to 2022
This summary provides a snapshot of the latest annual statistics from the Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR) at CIHI for 2013 to 2022. This includes analyses of patients receiving dialysis for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) as well as all solid organ donations and transplantations in Canada.
Organ donation levels in Canada nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, with a total of 1,403 organ donors. This approached 2019 donor numbers (N = 1,434) and was a 5% improvement over 2021 (N = 1,330).
Key highlights
In 2022, more than 48,375 Canadians were living with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Of these, 29,809 Canadians were on dialysis, while more than 18,500 were living with a functioning kidney transplant.
3,777 Canadians were waiting for a solid organ transplant as of December 31, 2022. Of these, 73% were waiting for a kidney, 13% for a liver, 6% for a lung, 3% for a heart, 3% for a pancreas and 2% for a combination of organs.
2,886 solid organ transplants were performed in Canada in 2022. While still below pre-pandemic volumes in 2019 (N = 3,016), total transplants increased by 11% compared with 2020 (N = 2,594) and 5% compared with 2021 (N = 2,752).
In 2022, there were 827 deceased donors, the highest number over the last decade. This represents a 12% increase compared with 2021 (N = 736) and a 50% increase compared with 2013 (N = 553).
While Canadian living donations improved by 18% in 2022 (N = 576) compared with the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (N = 490), the number decreased slightly by 3% compared with 2021 (N = 594).
Access data and read the full story on the CIHI website
The more registered organ and tissue donors there are, the more chances there are to save and improve lives. There are 4000+ Canadians on the organ waitlist. There are thousands more waiting for a life-improving tissue donation. This is why registration matters so deeply. While you’re here, take some time to think about your decision.
