Living kidney donation statistics in the UK

Living Kidney Donation Statistics in the UK 

Living kidney donation is the very best treatment option for someone living with kidney disease. Each year, hundreds of people step forward to give one of their kidneys to someone in need. These donations save lives, reduce waiting times, and often lead to better long-term outcomes for the patient than kidneys from deceased donors.  

Looking at the numbers helps to show the scale of the challenge, the progress that has been made, and the importance of every single living donor. 

How many living kidney donations happen each year? 

In 2024/25, there were 964 adult living-donor kidney transplants in the UK according to the NHS’ Transplant Activity Report. This was only up by 6% from the previous year, but it continues a longer trend where numbers have not returned to the peak seen in 2014/15 when more than 1,000 living donors came forward. 

While this is a remarkable achievement, it still falls short of meeting the full need for kidney donors. Nearly 7,000 people remain on the waiting list, showing just how important these donations are. 

Living vs deceased donation – a comparison 

The majority of kidney transplants in the UK still come from deceased donors. However, living donation makes up a significant proportion – around 29% of all kidney transplants in the last year. 

Living donor transplants offer many important advantages compared to kidneys from deceased donors. Recipients of living kidney donation live longer and their health outcomes are also better. They can usually be planned in advance, allowing for the patient to be in the best condition possible for the transplant to take place. Kidneys from living donors also tend to start working straight away and last longer. Studies show they can often remain healthy for 20 years or more, giving recipients a better quality of life, and more years of life. 

Deceased donation remains essential, but the contribution of living donors allows more people to be treated sooner and with the best possible outcomes. 

Who chooses to become a living kidney donor? 

Most living donors are close relatives, partners, or friends of the recipient. These are people who decide to step forward when someone they love is facing kidney failure. 

But there’s also a growing number of people who donate to strangers, known as non-directed or altruistic kidney donors. These donations can be especially powerful, as they often trigger transplant chains through the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme. This means a single non-directed donor can set off a sequence of matches that can save up to three lives. 

This rise in non-directed donation reflects increasing awareness of the need for living kidney donors and the impact that one person can have on many lives. 

Success rates for living kidney transplants 

Kidneys from living donors have excellent success rates. One of the key benefits is that these kidneys typically begin working immediately, reducing complications in the early days after surgery. Because they tend to last longer, they also mean patients may reduce the chance of needing further kidney transplants later in life, and live longer. 

This results in saving the NHS money compared to expensive and life-limiting dialysis treatment, as shown in a report released by Kidney Research UK in 2023. For patients, it also means a longer period of stability and improved quality of life. 

Why these numbers matter 

Today, nearly 7,000 people in the UK are waiting for a kidney transplant. Demand is rising, but supply cannot always keep up. In 2024/25, just over 3,300 adult kidney transplants took place – less than half of the number of people waiting for a kidney. 

Every living donor helps to reduce this gap. Their decision not only transforms the life of the recipient but also eases pressure on the transplant system as a whole. The statistics show both the progress made – hundreds of generous donors each year – and the ongoing challenge, with thousands of people still waiting. 

Living kidney donation remains one of the most powerful ways to meet this urgent need.