Number of patients active on organ transplant waiting list in Italy 2023, by organ

In 2023, 6,022 patients in Italy necessitated a kidney transplant. This was by far the organ most commonly needed by patients on an organ donation waiting list. In the same year, on hold for a liver transplant were 920 patients, whereas 668 ill individuals were waiting for a new heart. Lastly, 254 patients on the waiting list required a lung transplant and 207 of them a new pancreas. For the sixth year in a row, the total number of patients on an organ donation waiting list decreased. The steady decline of patients on a kidney waiting list that occurred in the last few years impacted the total number considerably.

Willingness to donate organs

Explicit consent or dissent is the principle ruling organ donation in Italy. Latterly, the formal declaration of willingness to donate organs became increasingly widespread among Italians. This may be due to the possibility – recently introduced in many Italian cities – to release a written statement in conjunction with the renewal of the identity document. In 2023, the number of organ donors peaked, with 2,042 individuals.  

Deaths among patients waiting for a transplant

Furthermore, the total number of people who died while waiting for an organ donation decreased over the last years. Indeed, the number of deaths among patients on the liver, heart, lung, and pancreas waiting list declined. However, the number of deaths among individuals waiting for a kidney remained quite high, adding up to 177 individuals in 2023.