Although American Indians and Alaska Natives account for less than 1 percent of patients on the organ transplant waiting list, they suffer from disproportionately high rates of diabetes and heart related diseases. Alcoholism is also prevalent among American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and in turn, they face higher rates of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. These conditions are known to put patients at risk for organ failures. In 2019, American Indians/Alaska Natives alone made up 0.9 percent of the national population.
- The number of organ transplants performed on American Indians/Alaska Natives in 2020 was 30 percent of the number of American Indians/Alaska Natives currently waiting for a transplant. The number of transplants performed on whites was 48.8 percent of the number currently waiting.
- While about 0.8 percent of the total candidates currently waiting for transplants are American Indian/Alaska Natives, they comprised 0.6 percent of organ donors in 2020.
- In 2020, 28.8 percent of the organs recovered from American Indians/Alaska Natives came from living donors as compared to 33.4 percent of white living donors.
- American Indians/Alaska Natives are more likely to develop a case of hepatitis C than the white population, a cause of liver failure.
| U.S. Transplant Waiting List – Candidates by Race/Ethnicity | |||||
| Organ | All Candidates | # of AI/AN Candidates | AI/AN % of All Candidates | # of White Candidates | White % of All Candidates |
| All Organs | 106,666 | 901 | 0.8 | 43,054 | 40.4 |
| Kidney | 90,235 | 792 | 0.9 | 32,377 | 35.9 |
| Liver | 11,704 | 94 | 0.8 | 7,865 | 67.2 |
| Heart | 3,531 | 11 | 0.3 | 2,004 | 56.8 |
| Lung | 922 | 2 | 0.2 | 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 | |
| AI/AN | 280 | 0.7 |
| 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 AI/AN Donors | % of All AI/AN Donors | # of White Donors | % of All White Donors |
| Living | 5,729 | 22 | 0.4 | 4,129 | 72.1 |
| Deceased | 12,588 | 90 | 0.7 | 8,249 | 65.5 |
| Total | 18,317 | 112 | 0.6 | 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 AI/AN Donors | % of All AI/AN Donors | # of White Donors | % of All White Donors |
| Living | 22 | 19.6 | 4,129 | 33.4 |
| Deceased | 90 | 80.4 | 8,249 | 66.6 |
| Total | 112 | 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