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The people of Wales are the least likely of all four nations to consent to organ donation

Almost 400 people in Wales are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant

Just 57% of the families consulted about donation when their loved one dies support it going ahead, the lowest consent rate across the four nations. In England and Northern Ireland the rate stands at 59% and at 63% in Scotland.  

Despite the change in the law meaning it is assumed people will be donors unless they have opted out, families are still involved in the conversations about donation, making the final decision on whether it can go ahead.  

Statistics show that families are significantly more likely to support their loved one's decision to be a donor when they have expressed their decision, so it's vitally important for people who want to donate their organs to register on the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR).  

Across Wales, just 44% of people have formally expressed their decision to be a donor by registering on the ODR, the second lowest rate across the four nations – England sits at 40%, Scotland at 54% and Northern Ireland at 57%.  

In the last year (2024/2025), 20 people from Wales have died while waiting for an organ transplant and 217 people in the area have died waiting in the last decade (2015-2025).  

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