Blood Donation Data around the world

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…