Lung transplants in the United Kingdom (UK) 2023/24

In 2023/24, 117 of the total 140 lung transplant procedures in the United Kingdom (UK) were carried out on patients living in England. Wales had ten lung transplantations carried out, with five also carried out in Northern Ireland, and eight in Scotland. 

Meeting demand?

At the end of March 2024, there were still 274 patients on the lung transplant waiting list in the UK, of which 216 were in England. Additionally, in this year, 42 patients in the UK died while on the organ transplant list waiting for a lung transplant.

European contrasts

The UK has a low rate of lung transplants when evaluated alongside most other European nations. At a rate of 1.4 lung transplants per one million population in 2022, the UK was ranked low compared to EU nations. Austria had the highest rate of lung transplants in this year, at 11.2 per million population.