India has achieved a landmark milestone in organ donation and transplantation recording 20,138 organ transplants in 2025 the highest ever in a single year. The achievement marks a 6.5 per cent increase over the 18,911 transplants performed in 2024 and reflects the country’s steady progress in strengthening its organ donation ecosystem. At the same time Aadhaar-verified organ donation pledges have crossed the five lakh mark since the launch of the National Digital Organ Donation Registry in September 2023. The figures were released in the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) Annual Report 2025-26 during the observance of the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said the achievement reflects the growing public awareness around organ donation, stronger institutional mechanisms and sustained government efforts to modernise the transplantation ecosystem.
According to the report, the number of organ transplants has increased more than four-fold over the past decade from 4,990 transplants in 2013 to over 20,000 in 2025. India now ranks as the third-largest country globally in terms of total organ transplants behind only the United States and China while continuing to remain the world leader in living donor organ transplantation. The report also highlights significant progress in deceased organ donation. The number of transplants from deceased donors has increased from 837 in 2013 to 3,526 in 2025 indicating growing acceptance of cadaver organ donation alongside improvements in hospital infrastructure, donor identification and transplant coordination.
Speaking at the event, Anupriya Patel said awareness campaigns, digital initiatives and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated appeals encouraging citizens to pledge their organs have contributed to the growing participation in organ donation. However she noted that a considerable gap still exists between the number of patients awaiting transplants and the availability of donor organs underlining the need for continued public awareness and stronger hospital participation.
To further strengthen the organ donation ecosystem the Ministry launched the ‘Jug Jug Jiyo’ campaign aimed at increasing awareness and encouraging voluntary organ donation across the country. The government also unveiled the e-Pratyaropan digital platform and the NOTTO mobile application which are expected to streamline donor registration, waiting lists, organ allocation and transplant monitoring through a unified digital system. In addition the Health Ministry released the National Brain Stem Death Certification Guidelines and the National Guidelines for Swap Transplantation designed to bring greater uniformity, transparency and efficiency to organ donation and transplant practices across states.
Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the NOTTO-ROTTO-SOTTO network has now expanded to 31 States and Union Territories improving coordination among transplant centres and facilitating faster organ allocation. She added that kidney transplant services are now operational in 10 new AIIMS institutions while liver and heart transplant facilities have also expanded across several AIIMS campuses improving access to advanced transplant care. The government has also expanded financial support for transplant patients through the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) and the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) which covers kidney transplantation under its health benefit packages. Affordable post-transplant medicines are also being made available through the nationwide network of Jan Aushadhi Kendras reducing the financial burden on recipients.
Despite the record performance experts maintain that India continues to face a substantial shortage of donor organs compared to the growing demand. They stress that increasing public awareness, encouraging family consent for deceased donation, strengthening transplant coordination and expanding specialised transplant centres will be critical to sustaining the country’s momentum in the coming years.