PETALING JAYA: The number of new organ donor registrations has sharply declined for the second year in a row, even as the demand for life-saving transplants continues to rise.
In 2024, new organ donor pledges fell by 45%, with only 15,461 individuals signing up compared to 28,342 in the previous year.
The downward trend has persisted in 2025, with just 2,641 pledges as of March 15 – a 45.5% drop from the 3,202 sign-ups during the same period last year.
Selangor recorded the most new organ donor pledges in 2024 at 4,204 registrations, followed by Johor (2,064) and Kuala Lumpur (1,450).
However, when adjusted for population size, Kuala Lumpur had the highest per capita rate of pledges at 2.32%, followed by Putrajaya (2.11%), Penang (1.70%), Johor (1.39%), and Selangor (1.38%).
Young adults remain the most willing to pledge, with 5,938 individuals aged 20-29 registering as organ donors between March 15, 2024, and March 15, 2025.
The 30-39 age group accounted for 4,019 pledgers, while 2,190 pledgers were in the 40-49 age bracket.
While organ donor registrations decline, the number of patients waiting for transplants continues to rise.
According to the National Transplant Resource Centre (NTRC) portal, 10,239 individuals are currently on the organ transplant waiting list as of February 2025 – up from 9,455 in April 2024.
Kidney patients make up the vast majority, with 10,197 individuals in need of transplants; 9,838 are adults and 359 paediatric patients.
Other patients awaiting transplants include 11 liver patients (four adults and seven children), 21 heart patients, 21 lung patients, and seven individuals requiring both heart and lung transplants.
