NHS Kidney Transplant Waiting List Rises to 7,203 – What Does This Mean for Black Patients?
- Candice McKenzie
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
In August 2026, NHS Blood and Transplant published the Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Activity Report 2025/2026. It shows that the NHS kidney transplant waiting list rises to 7,302 - what does this mean for black patients?
One year ago, The African Caribbean Kidney Education Enterprise© (ACKEE) analysed the previous report which showed that 6,939 people were on the active kidney transplant waiting list. So these latest figures show that the number has risen again.
As of 31 March 2026, 7,203 people were actively waiting for a kidney transplant – an increase of 264 people, or around 4 per cent, compared with the previous year.
The following figures show a continued need for kidney transplantation, with more people actively waiting on the NHS Kidney Transplant Waiting List than at the end of the previous financial year.
At a Glance: Kidney Activity | 2025/2026 |
Active kidney transplant waiting list | 7,203 |
Increase from 2024/2025 | 264 |
Children on the paediatric kidney waiting list | 138 |
Deceased kidney donors | 1,350 |
Transplants from deceased donors | 2,294 |
Living-donor kidney transplants | 984 |
Total kidney transplants | 3,278 |
Black patients on active waiting list | 813 (12%) |
Black deceased kidney donors | 16 (1%) |
Black living kidney donors | 27 (3%) |
What has changed since last year?
The most immediate change is the size of the waiting list. In 2024/2025, there were 6,939 people on the active kidney transplant waiting list. In 2025/2026, that number increased to 7,203. That means 264 more people were waiting for a kidney transplant at the end of March 2026 than at the same point the previous year.
At the same time, there were 3,278 kidney transplants during 2025/2026: 2,294 from deceased donors and 984 from living donors. Living-donor kidney transplants accounted for approximately 30 per cent of all kidney transplants.
The number of deceased kidney donors was 1,350 in 2025/2026, compared with 1,360 in 2024/2025, according to the latest NHS Blood and Transplant report.
-NHS Blood and Transplant's 2024/2025 Activity Report originally reported 1,361 deceased kidney donors for 2024/2025; the 2025/2026 report subsequently reports the figure as 1,360.
The figures demonstrate the continuing importance of both deceased and living donation. However, the increase in the waiting list also shows that demand for kidney transplantation remains high.
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What about children?
One figure that particularly caught our attention is the number of children waiting for a kidney transplant. At 31 March 2026, 138 children were on the active paediatric kidney transplant waiting list. This was a decrease from 151 children the previous year, representing a 9 per cent reduction. During 2025/2026, 137 paediatric kidney-only transplants were performed: 53 from deceased donors and 84 from living donors.
Although the report does provide ethnicity information for the overall kidney transplant waiting list, it does not provide a breakdown showing how many of the 138 children waiting were Black.
For ACKEE, this remains an important area for further understanding, particularly given research highlighting inequalities in access to kidney transplantation among children from African and Caribbean backgrounds.
What does this mean for Black patients?
This was the question ACKEE asked when we analysed last year's report and it remains an important question today. We will also continue to ask the following questions:
How many Black patients are currently waiting for a kidney transplant?
On average, how long does a Black patient wait for a kidney transplant?
How many Black patients received a kidney transplant in 2025/2026?
Behind every statistic is a person, a family and a story, one that I know very well. I personally waited 1,249 days, almost three and a half years, for a kidney transplant. Receiving that transplant in September 2025 changed my life. That experience, along with the experiences of many others, is one of the many reasons why ACKEE believes it is so important to look beyond the headline figures.
A waiting list number can look like a statistic, but 7,203 people means 7,203 people waiting, hoping and living with the uncertainty of not knowing when their opportunity for a transplant might come. For everyone on that waiting list, the hope of a transplant is more than a number - it can be the hope of saving their life.
- Candice McKenzie, Founder & Director, African Caribbean Kidney Education Enterprise® (ACKEE)
Whilst we await further ethnicity data, will will continue our mission to encourage you to Protect Your Kidneys With ACKEE
A – Take Action: Assess Your Health
Have a blood test, check your blood pressure and know your numbers.
C – Check for Warning Signs
Look out for tiredness, cloudy or bloody urine, sudden hair loss and high blood pressure.
K – Keep Active
Exercise regularly, avoid smoking and limit alcohol.
E – Eat Well
Enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables, drink the right amount of water for your individual health needs, reduce salt and limit processed foods.
E – Engage with ACKEE and your community
Got a question? Send us a message. Follow ACKEE and share our kidney health information with your community.
How you can support ACKEE:
Donate – ACKEE’s work is only possible thanks to champions like you. Make a donation today. Your generosity helps ACKEE provide education and resources to the African Caribbean community.
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