Saudi Arabia ranks third globally in organ donation from living donors, according to the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT).
The percentage of living donors increased by approximately 4.9% in the past year compared to 2023, with around 1,706 organ transplant procedures performed by living donors in 2024.
In this context, kidney transplant procedures saw the highest demand among living organ donations, with a total of approximately 1,284 kidney transplants last year. Meanwhile, living donors contributed about 422 partial liver donations in the same period, according to the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation.
Additionally, during the Saudi Conference on Organ Transplantation, Saudi Arabia launched the “Athr” digital platform to organize organ donation and transplant operations. This platform aims to enhance the quality of organ donation and transplant procedures, ensure integration among all health sectors involved in donation, provide comprehensive care for beneficiaries, and improve the utilization of health resources.
The center, which focuses on providing comprehensive care and developing national organ transplant programs, revealed that approximately 540,000 individuals in Saudi Arabia are willing to donate their organs after death. The Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation aims to reduce patients’ need to seek treatment abroad.
Furthermore, the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation noted a 12.3% increase in deceased donor organ transplant procedures last year, indicating that around 393 organs were transplanted from deceased donors to patients during the same period.
