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Organ Donation and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders

Health statistics for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders are limited, and patients can be categorized with all Asian Americans, leading to numbers that often do not portray existing health disparities for this population. In 2018, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NHPI) made up 0.2 percent of the national population.

  • The number of organ transplants performed on Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders in 2019 was about 22 percent of the number of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders currently waiting for a transplant. The number of transplants performed on white Americans was 47.6 percent of the number currently waiting.
  • While 0.5 percent of the total candidates currently waiting for transplants are Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, they comprised 0.2 percent of organ donors in 2019.
  • The number of organs recovered in 2019 from deceased Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander donors was almost twice the number of living Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander donors.
  • Native Hawaiians are more likely than white Americans living in Hawaii to be diagnosed with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have higher obesity rates and are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with chronic liver disease, as compared to white Americans. These conditions are known to put patients at risk for organ failures.

 

U.S. Transplant Waiting List – Candidates by Race/Ethnicity
Organ All Candidates # of NHPI Candidates NHPI % of all Candidates # of White Candidates White % of all Candidates
All Organs 112,258 615 0.5 45,441 40.5
Kidney 94,458 574 0.6 33,680 35.7
Liver 12,647 24 0.2 8,497 67.2
Heart 3,686 10 0.3 2,140 58.1
Lung 1,309 3 0.2 918

70.1

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of February 20, 2020.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/*

 

Transplants Performed in the U.S. by Recipient Ethnicity, 2019
  Number Percentage of Total 2019 Transplants
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 120 0.4
White 17,179 55.5
Total Transplants 30,969 100

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of February 20, 2020.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

 

U.S. Organ Donors Recovered, 2019
Donor Type # of All Donors # of NHPI Donors NHPI % of All Donors # of White Donors White % of All Donors
Living 7,381 14 0.2 5,269 71.4
Deceased 11,870 27 0.2 7,784 65.6
Total 19,251 41 0.2 13,053 67.8

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of February 20, 2020.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

 

U.S. Organ Donors Recovered, 2019
Donor Type # of NHPI Donors % of NHPI Donors # of White Donors % of White Donors
Living 14 34.1 5,269 40.4
Deceased 27 65.9 7,784 59.6
Total 41 100 13,053 100

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of February 20, 2020.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

 

* OPTN data is updated monthly online. The data and statistics for this section will be updated annually.

Last Modified: 3/4/2020 8:52:00 AM

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