NHS Kidney Transplant List Reaches Record High - So What Does That Mean for Black Patients?

On 17 July 2025, NHS Blood and Transplant released the Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2024/2025. It shows that the NHS kidney transplant list reaches a record high - so what does that mean for black patients?

Here at the African Caribbean Kidney Education Enterprise™ (ACKEE), we spent some time analysing the data:

At a Glance: Kidney Activity	2024/2025
Active waiting list	6939
New kidney only registrations	4669
Deceased kidney donors	1361
Transplants from deceased donors	2 337 (71 % of all kidney transplants)
Living kidney donors	964
Living-donor transplants	964 (29 % of all kidney transplants)

The latest data on kidney transplantation for the year 2024/2025 provides valuable insight into the current state of kidney donation and transplant activity.

The published report states that there are 6939 individuals on the active waiting list for a kidney transplant, highlighting the ongoing demand for donor organs.

During this period, there have been 4669 new registrations specifically for kidney-only transplants, reflecting the number of patients newly identified as candidates for this life-saving procedure.

Regarding donors, there were 1361 deceased kidney donors whose organs have contributed to saving lives. From these deceased donors, a total of 2337 kidney transplants were performed, accounting for 71 per cent of all kidney transplants carried out in this timeframe. This demonstrates the significant role that deceased donors play in addressing the organ shortage—something that we recognise here at ACKEE, and one of the key reasons our community interest company was founded.

Living kidney donors also continue to make a vital contribution. In this period, there were 964 living donors who provided kidneys, which led to exactly 964 living-donor kidney transplants—representing 29 per cent of all kidney transplants during the year.

It is important to note that in 2024–25, the number of living kidney donors was equal to the number of living-donor transplants. However, this is not always the case. For example, altruistic donors may start paired exchange chains that result in more transplants than donors, or occasionally, a planned donation may not proceed due to medical factors.

Living donation offers an important alternative that can reduce waiting times and improve transplant outcomes for recipients.

Together, these figures underscore the critical importance of both deceased and living donors in meeting the needs of patients requiring kidney transplants. The balance between these two sources of kidneys is essential for improving patient survival and quality of life.

However, while these numbers offer a national overview, they do not tell the full story for every community. Behind the figures lie stark disparities, particularly for people from Black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, where inequalities in access, donation rates, and outcomes persist, as highlighted in the NHS Blood and Transplant: Annual Report on Ethnicity Differences in Organ Donation and Transplantation for 2022/2023 and also in a more recent report by Dr Alice James which highlighted that black children face inequalities in transplant treatment.

At the time of writing this blog, the Ethnicity Differences Report for 2024/2025 has not yet been published. We have reached out to NHS Blood and Transplant to ask when the report will be available, and we were told by a senior communications officer that “we do not have a confirmed date at the moment, but we are looking at November”.

At ACKEE, we believe it is crucial to look beyond the headline statistics and ask: As NHS kidney transplant list reaches a record high, who is really waiting, who is really donating, and who is really benefitting?

❓ Questions We Hope the Upcoming Report Will Answer

We hope that the forthcoming Ethnicity Differences Report will provide answers to the following questions:

🧾 Access and Waiting List

• How many Black patients are currently on the kidney transplant waiting list?

• What percentage of people on the kidney transplant waiting list are Black?

• On average, how long does a White patient wait for a kidney transplant?

• On average, how long does a Black patient wait for a kidney transplant?

• What is the average time from registration to transplant for Black patients compared to White patients?

🏥 Donation Activity

• How many kidney donors were Black in the latest reporting period?

• How many living kidney donors were Black?

• How many deceased kidney donors were Black?

• What percentage of living kidney donors were Black?

• What percentage of deceased kidney donors were Black?

• What proportion of Black patients receive kidneys from donors of the same ethnicity, and how does this impact outcomes?

• Are there differences in consent rates for organ donation among Black communities?

💉 Transplant Outcomes

• How many Black patients received a kidney transplant in 2024/25?

• What are the transplant outcomes (for example, graft survival rates) for Black patients compared to White patients?

📊 Health Disparities and Risk

• What percentage of the United Kingdom population is affected by chronic kidney disease?

• How many times more likely are people from Black communities to develop chronic kidney disease compared to White individuals?

• How successful have NHS campaigns been in increasing donation awareness and registration among Black and other ethnic minority communities?

💭 Closing Thoughts

At ACKEE, we believe that everyone should have a fair chance when it comes to kidney health and transplants. The numbers in this report are important, but they do not show the full picture for Black communities. We hope the upcoming Ethnicity Differences Report will give us more answers and help bring about real change. In the meantime, we will keep asking questions, raising awareness, and supporting people affected by kidney disease. Every person matters, and every transplant can change a life.

​How can you help?

• Share this blog and the work of the African Caribbean Kidney Education Enterprise™ (ACKEE) to help inform and educate others, start a conversation about donation in your home, workplace, faith group, and community. Also find us on social media @wearetheackee on all platforms

  
  

• Join the National Health Service Organ Donor Register and tell your family your decision.