Reports

India’s Organ Donation and Transplants Increase Fourfold, NOTTO Data Shows

Government figures indicate substantial growth in organ donation and transplantation from 2013 to 2025, with expanded donor registrations and higher use of deceased-donor organs.

• By PharmaNews Live Desk
• New Delhi
• Feb 23, 2026

Reports

India has recorded a marked increase in organ donation and transplantation activity over the last decade, according to data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) — the apex body coordinating organ donation and transplantation in the country — reported that the annual number of transplants grew from fewer than 5,000 in 2013 to nearly 20,000 in 2025, representing a fourfold rise.

Growth in Transplants and Deceased Donation

Around 18 per cent of organ transplants in the country are now performed using organs donated by deceased donors, the ministry said. This marks a shift from predominantly living-donor transplants to broader utilisation of organs after death — a development public health officials say can expand access to transplantation.

The increase in transplant activity is partly attributed to higher donor registration and improved infrastructure. Since September 2023, more than 4.8 lakh citizens have registered to donate organs and tissues after death through an Aadhaar-based verification system, data show.

The government’s figures also indicate that more than 1,200 families opted to donate the organs of deceased relatives in 2025. Each such donor typically becomes a multi-organ donor, enabling multiple transplants from a single donor.

Policy and Coordination

The NOTTO operates under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and plays a central role in coordinating organ procurement, allocation, distribution, and registry functions across regional and state transplant organisations.

Health authorities have been working to strengthen transplant infrastructure and awareness nationwide. While the number of registered donors continues to grow, officials acknowledge that the rate of donation remains low when measured against the population size, and significant gaps remain between need and availability.

Broader Context

India’s expansion in transplant numbers builds on earlier progress. In previous years, health officials reported record numbers of procedures and noted that the country ranks among those performing high volumes of organ transplants globally.

Despite progress, experts and advocates emphasise the need to improve public awareness of organ donation, standardise brain-death certification across regions, and enhance counselling support for families to increase donation rates consistently.