Summary statistics on organ transplants, wait-lists and donors

June 15, 2023 — Despite increasing awareness of the importance of organ donation, the need for life-saving organ transplants in Canada remains high. The Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR) summary statistics provide a snapshot of organ transplants, wait-lists and donors in Canada in 2022, using aggregate-level data from Canada’s 12 organ donation organizations.

Use the 2022 summary statistics in the Featured material section to examine more detailed organ donation, wait-list and transplantation data, and download the infographic for a visual synopsis of organ transplant procedures and wait-lists.

Key findings

  • A total of 2,936 organ transplants were performed in Canada in 2022; 80% of transplants used deceased donor organs and 20% used living donor organs.
    • Of the organs from living donors, 52% were from related donors while 48% were from unrelated donors. 
    • Of the total transplants, 59% were kidney, 20% liver, 12% lung, 5% heart, 2% pancreas and 2% combination transplants. 
  • As of December 31, 2022, a total of 3,777 Canadians were on wait-lists to receive a transplant; 59% were active on wait-lists and 41% were on hold for a short period of time. 
  • In 2022, a total of 701 Canadians were removed from the organ transplant wait-lists; of these, 39% had died while waiting. 

Featured material

2022 summary statistics

Summary statistics on organ transplants, wait-lists and donors, including the number of patients who died while waiting for a vital organ transplant.

2022 summary statistics(XLSX)

Organ transplants in canada infographic thumbnail

Infographic

A visual representation of the latest summary statistics for heart, kidney, liver, lung and pancreas transplantation.

View infographic 

Contributing organ donation organizations

  • Organ Procurement and Exchange of Newfoundland and Labrador (OPEN) — Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Multi-Organ Transplant Program — Nova Scotia 
  • Legacy of Life and Critical Care Organ Donation — Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick Organ and Tissue Program — New Brunswick
  • Transplant Québec — Quebec
  • Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network) — Ontario
  • Transplant Manitoba — Gift of Life Program — Manitoba
  • The Saskatchewan Transplant Program — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  • The Saskatchewan Health Authority Donation Program — Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan
  • Southern Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Program (SAOTDP) — Calgary, Alberta
  • Human Organ Procurement and Exchange (HOPE) Program — Edmonton, Alberta
  • BC Transplant — British Columbia
 

How to cite:

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Summary statistics on organ transplants, wait-lists and donors. Accessed April 23, 2024.

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