Posted on November 21st, 2022.

Organ Donation and African Americans Office of Minority Health Resource Center

African Americans make up the largest group of minorities in need of an organ transplant. In 2019, blacks made up 12.8 percent of the national population.

The number of organ transplants performed on blacks in 2020 was 27.7 percent of the number of blacks currently waiting for a transplant. The number of transplants performed on whites was 47.6 percent of the number currently waiting.

While 28.5 percent of the total candidates currently waiting for transplants are blacks, they comprised 12.9 percent of organ donors in 2020.

In 2020, 83.6 percent of donor organs from blacks were from deceased donors.

In 2020, 16.4 percent of blacks were living donors as compared to 33.4 percent of white living donors.

Although the total number of whites on organ transplant waiting lists is about 1.4 times greater than that of blacks, the number of candidates waiting for a kidney transplant is almost the same between blacks and whites.

Blacks have higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure than the white population.

These conditions are known to put patients at risk for organ failures. 

Source: Minority Health.