Organ Transplant Waiting List Statistics

The incredible generosity that exists within our regional community is reflected in the organ transplant waiting list statistics below. In 2021, heroic organ donors saved a record number of lives through organ donation and transplantation, and there were thousands more lives saved and healed through tissue donation in Wyoming. Not only did those transplants heal trauma and disease and restore sight to patients, but they saved the lives of many of our community members. Despite that, there is still a great need for transplants – if you aren’t registered, sign up to be an organ, eye and tissue donor and provide hope to our community.

• 234 heroic organ donors made 642 lifesaving transplants possible in our area.
• Organs were recovered from 13,863 deceased organ donors, resulting in 41,354 organ transplant performed across the U.S. resulting in a record-breaking year for deceased donation.

• Around 130 people in Wyoming and 1,500 in our region are currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant.
• More than 100,000 people nationwide are waiting for a lifesaving transplant.

• 2,082 heroic tissue donors provided THOUSANDS of lifesaving and healing gifts to patients suffering from trauma or disease in 2021 in our area.
• 2,450 eye donors in our area in 2021 resulted in 1,948 sight-restoring corneal transplants.

• On average, 17 people die each day while waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.
• An average of 95 organ transplants take place every day in the United States.
• 41,354 organ transplants were performed using organs from deceased donors in 2021, marking the 11th consecutive record-setting year for transplants in the U.S.
• Additionally, 6,538 living donor transplants were performed in 2021. 
• Of the patients waiting, 90,325 (85%) are in need of a kidney and 11,477 (11%) are in need of a liver transplant.
• Every 9 minutes someone is added to the national organ transplant waiting list.

Once a healthcare provider determines that a patient requires an organ transplant, they are placed on the organ transplant waiting list until an organ becomes available. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the national organization that sets allocation policy and matches donors to recipients. The UNOS allocation criteria is a combination of donor and transplant candidate medical data and the location of the transplant and donor hospitals.

Donor Alliance ensures that lifesaving organ and tissue donations are safely and swiftly recovered and then received by those in our community waiting for a lifesaving transplant. The Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank facilitates cornea donation in most of Wyoming. The Utah Lions Eye Bank recovers and facilitates cornea donation in Sweetwater, Uinta and Lincoln counties.