Organ Donation: Saxony Ranks Second Nationally in Organ Donor Rate

Saxony has achieved the second-highest organ donor rate in Germany, with 21.6 donors per million inhabitants recorded in the first five months of 2026. This figure places the state just behind Hamburg, which leads the nation with 35.0 donors per million.

The region, which includes Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, has consistently reported above-average organ donation rates for years. Axel Rahmel, Medical Director of the German Foundation for Organ Transplantation (DSO), previously stated that if the entire country matched the donation rates of this eastern region, the situation for patients awaiting transplants would be "noticeably better."

In the period from January to May 2026, 36 people in Saxony donated organs after their death, an increase of four compared to the same period in 2025. However, the total number of organs retrieved in Saxony decreased to 91 (from 96 in the previous year), and the number of transplanted organs also fell to 64 (from 76 in the previous year).

Currently, 342 people in Saxony are awaiting a donor organ. The national average for organ donors per million inhabitants stands at 13.1.

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If as many organ donations were realized nationwide as in this region, the situation for waiting patients would be noticeably better.