Hispanics have high rates of diabetes and heart disease. Mexican Americans, in particular, suffer disproportionately from obesity, which contributes to diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. These conditions are known to put patients at risk for organ failures. Language barriers also negatively affect patient access to health care as well as adequate health information. In 2019, Hispanics made up 18.4 percent of the national population.
- The number of organ transplants performed on Hispanics in 2020 was about 30 percent of the number of Hispanics currently waiting for a transplant. The number of transplants performed on whites was 48.8 percent of the number currently waiting.
- While 20.5 percent of the total candidates currently waiting for transplants are Hispanic, they comprised 14.6 percent of organ donors in 2020.
- Almost 69 percent of organs recovered from Hispanic patients in 2020 were from deceased donors.
- Both Hispanic men and women have a chronic liver disease rate that is twice that of the white population, and they are almost twice as likely to die from chronic liver disease as compared to the white population.
| U.S. Transplant Waiting List – Candidates by Race/Ethnicity | |||||
| Organ | All Candidates | # of Hispanic Candidates | Hispanic % of All Candidates | # of White Candidates | White % of All Candidates |
| All Organs | 106,666 | 21,864 | 20.5 | 43,054 | 40.4 |
| Kidney | 90,235 | 19,142 | 21.2 | 32,377 | 35.9 |
| Liver | 11,704 | 2,190 | 18.7 | 7,865 | 67.2 |
| Heart | 3,531 | 393 | 11.1 | 2,004 | 56.8 |
| Lung | 922 | 164 | 16.5 | 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 | |
| Hispanic | 6,585 | 16.9 |
| 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 Hispanic Donors | % of All Hispanic Donors | # of White Donors | % of All White Donors |
| Living | 5,729 | 831 | 14.5 | 4,129 | 72.1 |
| Deceased | 12,588 | 1,845 | 14.7 | 8,249 | 65.5 |
| Total | 18,317 | 2,676 | 14.6 | 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 Hispanic Donors | % of All Hispanic Donors | # of White Donors | % of All White Donors |
| Living | 831 | 31.1 | 4,129 | 33.4 |
| Deceased | 1,845 | 68.9 | 8,249 | 66.6 |
| Total | 2,676 | 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