Number of patients active on organ transplant waiting list in Belgium 2021-2023

At the end of 2023, nearly 1.2 thousand individuals were active on the transplant list waiting for a kidney in Belgium. This was very close to the number of patients waiting for a kidney in the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of patients waiting for a liver has generally decreased over the three-year period. 

Transplant activity in Belgium

In 2022, 40.9 kidney transplants per million population were carried out in Belgium, an increase from a rate of 35.9 in 2021. Kidney transplants are still the most common organ transplant procedure, ahead of liver and lung transplant with rates of 25.4 and 8.1 per million population respectively. The number of patients who died on the kidney transplant list has decreased in Belgium, going from 33 in 2021 to 43 in 2022. 

European comparisons

The rate of kidney transplant procedures in Belgium was around average when classified alongside other European countries. In 2023, Belgium ranked eleventh out of the European countries in the rate of kidney transplants. Spain had the highest rate with 77.7 procedures per million population.