Whether you’re preparing for your first organ transplant or supporting a loved one who is starting a transplant journey, you might wonder how many people are waiting for organ transplants.
In this blog, we’ll explain how many people are currently on the transplant waiting list, how to get on the transplant waiting list, and how to find financial assistance for transplant patients.
Updated in April 2026
How many people are waiting for an organ transplant right now?
According to organdonor.gov, there are currently more than 103,200 people waiting for organ transplants in the U.S., including both adults and children.
More statistics about organ transplants:
- Someone joins the transplant waiting list every 8 minutes.
- 13 people pass away every day waiting for an organ transplant.
- A single registered organ donor can save 8 lives and impact 75+ lives.
- More than 48,000 transplants took place in 2024 alone.
What is the average age of a patient on the transplant waiting list?
According to OPTN, about 47% of people on the transplant waiting list are between 50 and 64.
- 27% of people on the transplant waiting list are 65 or older
- 25% of people on the transplant waiting list are between 35 and 49
- 9% of people on the transplant waiting list are between 18 and 34
- 8% of the transplant waiting list is children under 17 years old
How long will someone be on the transplant waiting list before they get a transplant?
OPTN indicates that the median wait time for a transplant is between one year and two years. Here are the average waiting times for the most common transplant types, all impacted by multiple factors ranging from geography to diagnosis to availability:
- Kidney transplant candidates wait an average of one to five years for a transplant according to the National Kidney Foundation
- Liver transplant candidates wait between 30 days and five years for a transplant on average according to NIH
- Lung transplant candidates wait an average of three to six months for a transplant according to Cleveland Clinic
- Heart transplant candidates wait an average of one year for a transplant according to Temple Health
- Pancreas transplant candidates wait an average of two years for a transplant according to Mayo Clinic
Which state has the longest waiting list for a transplant?
Based on OPTN data reported in 2024, California has the largest number of people waiting for a transplant with more than 21,700 people on the transplant waiting list at that time.
Keep in mind that a large waiting list doesn’t automatically translate to a longer wait for a transplant—transplant rates depend on waiting list, organ availability, and the region’s transplant capabilities among other factors during the organ transplant process.
How many transplants happen in a year in the U.S.?
According to UNOS, more than 49,000 transplant took place in the U.S. in 2025.
2025 represents the 5th consecutive year of record-high organ transplants.
In 2025, more than 7,235 people became living organ donors. That was a 3% increase in living donors compared to 2024.
More statistics about transplants in the U.S. 2025:
- There were fewer kidney transplants in 2025 than in 2024. 27,570+ kidney transplants were performed in 2025.
- 8% more liver transplants took place in 2025 than in 2024. There were 12,340+ liver transplants in 2025. There was a 17% increase in living donor liver transplants in 2025 compared to 2024.
- There were fewer deceased organ donations in 2025 compared to 2024 for the first time in more than 10 years. More than 16,500 deceased donor transplants took place in 2025.
Where have the most transplants taken place in the U.S.?
OPTN reported in 2024 that the most transplants in the country have taken place in:
- California (119,978 transplants since 1988)
- Texas (84,809 transplants since 1988)
- Pennsylvania (69,106 transplants since 1988), and
- New York (68,083 transplants since 1988)
Does race or ethnicity impact your time on the transplant waiting list?
Yes: as of 2020, white patients were the largest percentage of the waiting list and the largest percentage of the transplants performed.
- White patients made up 40% of the transplant waiting list
- Black patients made up 28% of the transplant waiting list
- Hispanic patients made up 20% of the transplant waiting list
- Asian patients made up 8% of the transplant waiting list
- Other ethnicities made up 2.5% of the transplant waiting list
Of the patients who received a transplant in 2020:
- 53% were white
- 21% were black
- 5% were Hispanic
- 5% were Asian
- 2% were other ethnicities
How does a patient join the transplant waiting list?
According to UNOS, the typical process for joining the organ transplant waiting list list begins with your medical professional determining that you need a transplant and referring you to a transplant center or hospital.
As a transplant candidate, you may review your options for receiving a first organ transplant at multiple different centers (and in multiple states) before you choose a location. Your choice of location may depend on:
- Which transplant hospital is capable of performing that particular transplant surgery
- Whether your insurance covers some or most of the costs associated with a transplant at a particular transplant hospital
- The requirements that each hospital establishes for transplant eligibility and whether you meet those criteria
- The length of the transplant waiting list in a particular state or region
If you need to repeat the organ transplant process to receive another transplant in the future, you can choose to move forward with the same transplant hospital or select a new transplant hospital based on the transplant type, your medical needs, your physical location, eligibility requirements, or other factors.
If you are eligible to receive a transplant from a living donor, such as a kidney or partial liver transplant, you may be able to significantly shorten your wait time by asking friends and family members to get tested as potential living donors.
In some cases, you may be hospitalized as you wait for an organ to become available.
What happens after a patient joins the waiting list for a transplant?
Once you join the waiting list for a deceased donor transplant, you will typically receive information on how long you can expect to wait for the transplant.
Living donor transplant candidates can join the waiting list for a deceased organ while their loved ones go through the testing process to potentially become a living donor.
If you are waiting for a deceased donor organ, you will be required to have a phone with you at all times in case “the call” comes through that an organ is available. When you receive “the call,” you will need to proceed to the transplant hospital as quickly as possible while the organ is still viable for initial testing to determine compatibility. Some of these calls may result in “dry runs,” during which you learn that the organ is not a fit for you.
Keep in mind that a transplant candidate can potentially join the waiting list in multiple states at once to try to shorten their wait for a transplant. This option relies on being able to rapidly travel to that location if you get “the call” that a suitable organ is available for you.
How does someone move up or down the transplant waiting list?
Your position on the transplant waiting list can be influenced by multiple factors.
Primarily, your position is determined by how rapidly and critically a transplant is needed to stabilize your health. A patient with a short timeframe for survival without a transplant will typically be placed higher on the transplant waiting list than a patient who may be able to survive for years without a transplant.
Keep in mind that you will not be eligible for a transplant if your health deteriorates to the point where your transplant team believes that the surgery will no longer serve as a safe or effective intervention. If this kind of health setback occurs, you may be removed from the transplant waiting list until certain health conditions are met.
An organ must be a match for a patient’s biology within certain parameters in order for the organ transplant process to proceed without triggering irreversible transplant rejection. You may have a shorter or longer wait based on whether your unique parameters are easier or more difficult to match with deceased or living donor organs compared to other patients.
Your position on the transplant waiting list will always be influenced in part by how many other people are waiting for organ transplants in your region with a similar organ type need and their respective eligibilities to receive a transplant.
Keep in mind that proof of financial readiness is often a requirement to join the transplant waiting list.
If you are not able to provide proof of savings or transplant fundraising with your hospital, you may be removed from the transplant waiting list until you can show financial readiness for the anticipated out-of-pocket expenses associated with the procedure.
In some cases, your transplant team may share your position on the transplant waiting list with you to give you a better understanding of how long you may wait for a transplant.
How can transplant patients get financial assistance with transplant costs?
That’s where our national medical nonprofit, Help Hope Live, comes in. Since 1983, we have helping transplant patients to start community-led fundraising campaigns backed by our nonprofit status, medical verification, and one-on-one help for a lifetime of need.
These campaigns can help offset the wide variety of transplant-related expenses that insurance typically does not cover.
Request help below, and access our other hand-reviewed transplant resources for support outside of medical fundraising:
