Türkiye’s deceased donor rate falls to 17.84 percent

ANKARA

Visitors receive information at an organ donation stand, as prospective donors are encouraged to discuss their wishes with relatives. (İHA Photo)

Only 17.84 percent of people declared brain-dead in Türkiye were recorded as organ donors in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 20.41 percent for all of 2025, according to figures based on Health Ministry records.

The Turkish Transplant Foundation reported 1,832 brain deaths and 327 organ donors in the first three quarters of 2026. The figures it shared for comparison showed 2,357 brain deaths and 481 deceased donors in 2025.

The latest data cover January through September, rather than the full year. The comparison therefore places a nine-month period alongside an annual total. The percentage refers to donors among people declared brain-dead, rather than the proportion of the population who have registered to donate organs.

Hospitals performed 2,432 kidney transplants in the first three quarters of 2026. Of these, 1,991 used organs from living donors. In the same period, 1,236 liver transplants were carried out, with living donors providing organs for 1,046 procedures.

The figures also listed 32 heart, eight lung and two pancreas transplants. Separately, 3,689 cornea transplants were performed during the same nine-month period. Living donors accounted for the majority of both kidney and liver transplants recorded in the figures.

The reported donation rate draws attention to the importance of public awareness and efforts to increase the number of donors. Informing relatives of a decision to donate organs after death is an important part of the process, allowing families to know the person’s wishes.

A declaration of willingness to donate does not, however, mean the organs will necessarily be used in a transplant. Whether they are suitable for transplantation is determined through medical assessments conducted after brain death. The decision to donate and the medical evaluation of the organs are therefore distinct stages of the process.