Diabetes and heart disease are less prevalent among Asian Americans than other minority groups. Even so, they suffer significantly from liver disease and hepatitis. These conditions are known to put patients at risk for organ failures. In 2019, Asian Americans made up 5.7 percent of the national population.
- The number of organ transplants performed on Asian Americans in 2020 was only 24.7 percent of the number of Asians currently waiting for a transplant. The number of transplants performed on whites was 48.8 percent of the number currently waiting.
- While 8.5 percent of the total candidates currently waiting for transplants are Asian, they comprised 3.1 percent of organ donors in 2020.
- In 2020, 43.1 percent of the organs recovered from Asians came from living donors as compared to 33.4 percent of white living donors.
| U.S. Transplant Waiting List – Candidates by Race/Ethnicity | |||||
| Organ | All Candidates | # of Asian Candidates | Asian % of All Candidates | # of White Candidates | White % of All Candidates |
| All Organs | 106,666 | 9,069 | 8.5 | 43,054 | 40.4 |
| Kidney | 90,235 | 8,331 | 9.2 | 32,377 | 35.9 |
| Liver | 11,704 | 602 | 5.1 | 7,865 | 67.2 |
| Heart | 3,531 | 97 | 2.7 | 2,004 | 56.8 |
| Lung | 922 | 41 | 4.1 | 661 | 66.6 |
Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/*
| Transplants Performed in the U.S. by Recipient Ethnicity, 2020 | ||
| Number | Percentage of Total 2020 Transplants | |
| Asian | 2,236 | 5.7 |
| White | 20,997 | 53.8 |
| Total Transplants | 39,036 | 100 |
Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/
| U.S. Organ Donors Recovered, 2020 | |||||
| Donor Type | # of All Donors | # of Asian Donors | % of All Asian Donors | # of White Donors | % of All White Donors |
| Living | 5,729 | 243 | 4.2 | 4,129 | 72.1 |
| Deceased | 12,588 | 321 | 2.6 | 8,249 | 65.5 |
| Total | 18,317 | 564 | 3.1 | 12,378 | 67.6 |
Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/
| U.S. Organ Donors Recovered, 2020 | ||||
| Donor Type | # of Asian Donors | % of All Asian Donors | # of White Donors | % of All White Donors |
| Living | 243 | 43.1 | 4,129 | 33.4 |
| Deceased | 321 | 56.9 | 8,249 | 66.6 |
| Total | 564 | 100 | 12,378 | 100 |
Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
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 Edited: 08/26/2021