More than 1,300 Australians received a life-changing organ transplant in 2024

Released today, the Australian Donation and Transplantation Activity Report revealed 1,328 lives were either saved or significantly improved in 2024, thanks to the generosity of 527 deceased organ donors.
 
This is a 3% increase in the number of organ donors from 2023. However, the number of families that said yes to donation in the hospital remains low, with a 2% drop compared to 2023 where 55% of families agreed.
 
Increasing the number of people and families who say yes to donation is critical to saving more lives. The Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA) leads the national DonateLife program, focused on boosting this number by building support in the community and optimising opportunities in the hospital.
 
For around 1,800 Australians on organ transplant waitlists, and an additional 14,000 Australians on dialysis, many who may benefit from a transplant, this would be life changing.   
 
The Government’s new National Strategy for Organ Donation, Retrieval and Transplantation supports this life-saving goal.
 
Encouraging more Australians to register as organ and tissue donors is another important way we can help more people get a life-saving transplant.   
  
Your family will always be asked to agree before donation goes ahead, so it’s important to leave them certain that you want to be donor.   
  
We know around 8 in 10 families say yes to donation if their family member is registered. This drops to 4 in 10 if their family didn’t know they wanted to be a donor.   
    
Registering and telling your family that you want to be an organ and tissue donor is easy. It takes just a minute at donatelife.gov.au or through Medicare.    
 
The full report can be found here: donatelife.gov.au/all-about-donation/statistics-in-australia
 
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care
Ged Kearney MP:
 
“I would like to acknowledge the 527 Australians who became organ donors last year and thank their families for saying yes to donation. You have given 1,328 people the ultimate gift - a second chance in life.”
   
“While Australia’s organ and tissue donation activity has increased, our consent rate remains a challenge at 53%. A return to our pre-COVID consent rate of 60%, would have seen an extra over 100 life-saving organ transplants in 2024.”  
   
“I urge all Australians to register and tell your family that you want to be an organ and tissue donor.”     
  
“Everyone over the aged 16 and over can register regardless of your medical history or your lifestyle. It’s easy and only takes one minute at donatelife.gov.au or through Medicare.”