UK Organ Transplant Waiting List Reaches Record High as Family Consent Drops

The number of patients waiting for organ transplants in the UK has reached its highest recorded level, while family support for donation continues to decline. This development highlights ongoing challenges in increasing organ donation rates despite policy changes.

As of the end of March 2025, there were 8,096 individuals, including 276 children, listed as actively waiting for an organ transplant in the UK. An additional 3,883 patients were temporarily suspended from the transplant list, bringing the total number of people needing a transplant to nearly 12,000.

During the 2024/25 period, the number of deceased organ donors in the UK fell to 1,403, representing a 7% decrease compared to the previous year. The number of patients who received organ transplants also declined, with 4,583 transplants performed—a 2% reduction from the previous year.

Family consent rates for organ donation have dropped to 59% across the UK. In 2024/25, 173 families overruled their relative’s registered or expressed decision to donate, while in 520 cases, families did not support donation even when consent was presumed under the opt-out system.

What the numbers show

• 8,096 patients were on the active transplant waiting list as of March 2025
• 1,403 deceased organ donors were recorded in 2024/25, down 7% from the previous year
• Family consent for organ donation fell from 69% in 2020 to 59% in 2024/25

The UK’s opt-out legislation, introduced under the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019, presumes consent for donation unless individuals have opted out. However, the process still requires family support for donation to proceed, and family decisions continue to influence outcomes.

Consent rates among families of eligible donors have shown variation by ethnicity. In 2018/19, white families consented at a rate of 70.5%, while families from other ethnic groups consented at 41.7%. In 2024/25, family consent among ethnic minority potential donors was 35%, and overall support across all groups declined over recent years.

A 2025 report indicated that deceased organ donations from ethnic minority donors dropped by 19%, and living donations by 8%. Despite these decreases, the number of transplants among ethnic minority patients reached a five-year high during the same period.

International studies have examined the impact of opt-out policies. Research covering 24 countries between 2000 and 2023 found that presumed consent increased deceased donor rates by around 7%, but living donor numbers dropped by 29%, resulting in no overall increase in total donors. Countries with opt-out systems show varied outcomes, with some achieving higher donation rates and others remaining low despite similar policies.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.