LISN press release on organ donation figures for 2025
Liver Ireland Support Network (LISN) wishes to express our heartfelt thanks to every organ donor and to their families who, at a time of profound loss during the last year, chose to give the gift of life. Their generosity has transformed lives and ensured that hope continues for patients and families across Ireland and beyond.
For those who received a liver transplant during 2025, the impact is immeasurable. For their families, it means time regained, futures restored, and milestones reached. We also acknowledge with deep respect those donors whose organs could not be matched in Ireland but went on to save lives elsewhere — a powerful reminder that organ donation is an act of global compassion and solidarity.
As a liver disease and transplant charity, we see every day what transplantation makes possible, but we also see the cost when donor livers are not available in time. Figures released by the Organ Donation Transplant Ireland Office (ODTI) of the HSE on December 29th noted that there were just 28 liver transplants in Ireland during the entire year of 2025. This is a stark statistic, comparable to the 1990s when liver transplantation in Ireland was very new, and less than those of 2020 when the global pandemic resulted in reduced healthcare appointments and surgeries. Numbers of liver transplants in 2019 were 66, 51 in 2022, 54 in 2023 and 40 in 2024, a downwards trend, despite new legislation governing organ donation in Ireland (Human Tissue Act, 2024). The transplant figures for 2025 are a sobering reminder that the need for an increased donor pool is crucial!
While we welcomed the introduction of the soft opt-out system in June 2025, we believe that legislation alone is not enough; public awareness, education and conversation remain essential. We urge the HSE to continue to make organ donation a priority, to continue public engagement initiatives, to increase sustained awareness campaigns, and to invest in donation and transplant services, all vital steps to reduce transplant waiting lists – and to save lives.
We continue to urge people to talk openly with their families about organ donation and to make their wishes known. Families and next-of-kins are still at the heart of the decision-making process, and clarity at a critical moment can make all the difference. Behind every statistic is a person waiting — often for months or years — and families living with uncertainty. Tragically, some patients will not survive long enough to receive the transplant they need.
This Christmas and New year season, we remember with gratitude those who gave the ultimate gift, and we hold in our thoughts the patients still waiting. We ask everyone to honour donors by keeping the conversation going, because one decision, shared with family in a few minutes, can mean a lifetime for someone else.
