Fewer people donated organs in Saxony last year than in the previous year. According to preliminary figures from the German Organ Transplantation Foundation (DSO), a total of 64 people donated organs after their death in 2025 - eight fewer than in 2024. Nevertheless, the Free State had 15.9 organ donors per million inhabitants, well above the national average of 11.8.
At a national level, organ donation reached its highest level since 2012 in 2025 with 985 donors. However, the need remains high: according to the Organ Transplantation Foundation, 8,199 people in Germany were waiting for a donor organ at the end of 2025 - 371 of them in Saxony.
Need remains high
"The fact that we recorded more organ donors in 2025 than we have for over a decade is an important and encouraging signal," said Axel Rahmel, Medical Director of the Foundation. Nevertheless, this level is not yet sufficient to meet the demand. "There is still a shortage of donor organs."
Saxony is part of the DSO region East, which has been achieving above-average figures for years. Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia together had 16.3 organ donors per million inhabitants in 2025 - 38 percent more than the national average. "If as many organ donations were realized nationwide as in this region, the situation for waiting patients would be noticeably better," emphasized Rahmel.
Objection solution comes back into focus
Nationwide, around two thirds of contacts between hospitals and the DSO do not result in an organ donation - often because there is no documented decision. "The majority of people in Germany are generally in favor of organ donation, but have not recorded their personal decision," explained Rahmel. The DSO Executive Board therefore welcomes the fact that there is a renewed political debate about an opt-out solution.
In Saxony, 187 organs were removed last year, compared to 182 in the previous year. In the state's transplant centers, 163 organs were transplanted, compared to 153 in 2024.
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