India Crosses 20,000 Organ Transplants in 2025

India recorded 20,138 organ transplants in 2025, which was the first time the annual total crossed 20,000 in India. The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) compiled the annual figures, and the 2025 total was higher than 18,911 transplants in 2024 and 4,990 transplants in 2013.

Organ Transplantation in India

Organ transplantation is a surgical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed into another body. In India, major transplantable organs include the kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, and intestine.

• Living donor transplantation uses an organ or part of an organ from a living person, and kidney and partial liver transplants are the most common examples in India.
• Deceased donor transplantation uses organs retrieved after brain stem death or circulatory death, subject to legal and medical certification.
• India ranked as the world’s third-largest country in total organ transplants in 2025, after the United States and China.
• India remained first globally in living donor organ transplants as of 2026.

State-wise Distribution and Deceased Donation

Delhi-NCR recorded 4,564 transplants in 2025, which was the highest among Indian regions. Tamil Nadu recorded 2,796 transplants, Maharashtra 2,136, Telangana 1,523, and Kerala 1,489.

• Tamil Nadu led deceased organ donation with 266 donors in 2025.
• Maharashtra recorded 205 deceased donors in 2025.
• Telangana recorded 198 deceased donors in 2025.
• Karnataka recorded 154 deceased donors in 2025, and Kerala recorded 152.

Policy Framework and Digital Initiatives

NOTTO functions under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and coordinates organ donation and transplantation activities in India. The national digital pledge portal launched in 2023 has recorded over five lakh Aadhaar-verified organ donation pledges.

• The year-long Jug Jug Jiyo Abhiyaan was launched in August 2026 for organ donation awareness.
• The e-Pratyaropan digital platform was launched in August 2026 for transplant-related digital processes.
• The NOTTO mobile app was launched in August 2026 to support organ donation and transplantation services.
• New National Brain Stem Death Certification Guidelines and National Guidelines on Swap Transplantation were released in August 2026.

Important Facts for Exams

• NOTTO stands for the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation.
• India crossed 20,000 organ transplants in a single year for the first time in 2025.
• Swap transplantation is an arrangement in which two donor-recipient pairs exchange organs to improve compatibility.
• Brain stem death certification is a legal and medical requirement for deceased organ donation in India.

India recorded 3,526 deceased donor transplants in 2025, compared with 837 in 2013. The gap between organ demand and organ availability remains a major feature of India’s transplant system.