Organ transplants are one of the most significant advances in modern medicine, saving thousands of lives each year. In this area, Spain continues to make a difference globally, while countries such as Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil are showing notable progress, especially in non-heart donation.
Spain: A Global Model
In 2024, Spain once again positioned itself as the undisputed leader in transplants, with a rate of more than 54 donors per million inhabitants and 6,463 transplants performed. This represents 5% of donors globally, despite the fact that the country accounts for only 0.6% of the world's population. Its success is based on an efficient healthcare system, a specialized transplant organization, and a society broadly committed to donation.
One of the milestones that distinguishes the country is its leadership in asystole donation, a technique that allows the use of organs from people whose hearts have stopped beating. This method, more complex than donation in the case of brain death, has significantly expanded the availability of organs.
Latin America on the rise
In the region, Uruguay ranked as the country with the highest donation activity, while Argentina stood out as the leader in asystole donation with 36 donors during 2024. Brazil, for its part, made significant progress thanks to improvements in its transplant system, benefiting thousands of patients.
In total, Latin America reached 6,023 deceased donors and performed 17,432 organ transplants in 2024, figures that reflect a growing commitment to this cause.
Europe and the Demand Challenge
The European Union recorded a record 32,222 transplants in 2024, but still has 52,538 people on the waiting list. This shows that, despite progress, the demand for organs far exceeds supply, posing an urgent challenge for the region.
Looking to the Future
Spain's example, along with the efforts of Latin American countries, demonstrates that it is possible to increase donation and transplant rates through a strong healthcare system , efficient organization, and a committed society. The challenge now is to globalize this model, promote education about donation, and reduce the gap between organ supply and demand to save more lives in the coming years.
