Let’s tour around the world and discover some blood donation data about donors, Blood Drives, and Blood Supplies.
How many blood donations are in the world?
According to the WHO, eighty-three million donations were recorded worldwide in 2012, or 2 donations per second. 8 million more than in 2004.
These 83 million were collected in 10,000 blood transfusion centers in 168 countries.
Blood drives
The inhabitants’ income is a determining factor in the collection of blood donations: the annual blood donation level is 3,100 donations for low- and middle-income countries, 15,000 in high-income countries.
The total blood donation rate, an indicator of the general availability of blood in a country, also varies according to per capita income.
It is 39.2 per 1,000 inhabitants in high-income countries compared to 12.6 for low-income countries. This rate is four donations per 1000 inhabitants in low-income countries.
Seventy-five countries collect less than ten donations per 1000 inhabitants.
In these 75 countries:
- 38 countries belong to the WHO African region
- 6 to that of the Americas
- 8 to that of the eastern Mediterranean
- 6 to the European region
- 7 to the Southeast Asia region and 10 to the Western Pacific region.
All are low and middle-income countries.
Of the 83 million donated blood, more than 50% is collected in high-income countries. However, these countries represent only 15% of the world’s population.
Blood supply
Currently, only 62 countries have blood supplies based on voluntary unpaid blood donation (almost 100%). 40 are still dependent on family donors, or even paid donors.
People in need of blood transfusions are the opposite of each other if you take low-income or high-income countries:
- 65% are children under 5 in low-income countries
- 76% are people over 65 in high-income countries.
Blood donors around the world
30% are women, but the proportions vary considerably from one country to another. In 18 of 168 countries, only 10% of women donate blood.
The age profile of blood donors:
- 38%: 25-44 years old,
- 27%: 18 24 years old,
- 26%: 45-64 years
- 6% of donors are in the under 18 age group,
- 3% for the over 65 age group.
Three types of blood donors
- Unpaid voluntary donors
- Donors for a family member / compensation
- Paid donors.
An increase of 7.70 million blood donations from voluntary unpaid donors was observed between 2004 and 2011 in 156 countries. In 71 countries, they represent 90% of blood supply.
Sixty countries are provided voluntarily and voluntarily for their entire donation (or more than 99%): 38 high-income countries, 22 middle-income countries, and 11 low-income countries.
Those are good blood donation data to know and Certainly to increase…
