Spain Maintains World Leadership in Organ Donation with 6,335 Transplants in 2025
Spain sustains its global lead in organ donation with 6,335 transplants in 2025, setting records in heart transplants and achieving high donor rates.
- • Spain leads the world in organ donation for 34 consecutive years.
- • In 2025, Spain performed 6,335 organ transplants, nearing the 2024 record.
- • Heart transplants reached a record of 390, a 12% increase from 2024.
- • Cantabria registered the highest donor rate in Spain at 103 donors per million inhabitants.
Key details
Spain has upheld its status as the global leader in organ donation for 34 consecutive years, performing 6,335 transplants in 2025, just shy of the record 6,464 set in 2024. The country achieved a donation rate of 52 donors per million inhabitants, more than double the European Union average of 24 donors per million.
Kidney transplants remained the most common in 2025, totaling 3,999 procedures. Notably, heart transplants reached a record high of 390, marking a 12% increase from the previous year. Liver and lung transplants saw slight declines, with 1,276 and 556 transplants respectively, down 5% and 11%. Seven autonomous communities exceeded 40 donors per million inhabitants, with Cantabria leading at 103 donors per million.
Efforts by the National Transplant Organization focus on improving the detection of potential donors and optimizing the transplant process to increase organ availability. A significant achievement was reported by Madrid’s Hospital 12 de Octubre, which completed four heart transplants within 63 hours—a milestone in Spain’s transplantation history.
These continued advances highlight Spain’s exemplary public health system and commitment to organ donation, sustaining its world-leading position amid ongoing challenges.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
