Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jun 1;106(6):1113-1122.
doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000003943. Epub 2022 Sep 7.

Global Estimates of Capacity for Kidney Transplantation in World Countries and Regions

Affiliations

Global Estimates of Capacity for Kidney Transplantation in World Countries and Regions

Dominic Mudiayi et al. Transplantation. .

Abstract

Background: Kidney transplantation (KT) is the optimal treatment for kidney failure and is associated with better quality of life and survival relative to dialysis. However, knowledge of the current capacity of countries to deliver KT is limited. This study reports on findings from the 2018 International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas survey, specifically addressing the availability, accessibility, and quality of KT across countries and regions.

Methods: Data were collected from published online sources, and a survey was administered online to key stakeholders. All country-level data were analyzed by International Society of Nephrology region and World Bank income classification.

Results: Data were collected via a survey in 182 countries, of which 155 answered questions pertaining to KT. Of these, 74% stated that KT was available, with a median incidence of 14 per million population (range: 0.04-70) and median prevalence of 255 per million population (range: 3-693). Accessibility of KT varied widely; even within high-income countries, it was disproportionately lower for ethnic minorities. Universal health coverage of all KT treatment costs was available in 31%, and 57% had a KT registry.

Conclusions: There are substantial variations in KT incidence, prevalence, availability, accessibility, and quality worldwide, with the lowest rates evident in low- and lower-middle income countries. Understanding these disparities will inform efforts to increase awareness and the adoption of practices that will ensure high-quality KT care is provided around the world.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

D.W.J. has received consultancy fees, research grants, speaker’s honoraria, and travel sponsorships from Baxter Healthcare and Fresenius Medical Care; consultancy fees from Astra Zeneca and AWAK, speaker’s honoraria and travel sponsorships from ONO; and travel sponsorships from Amgen. He is a current recipient of an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Leadership Investigator Grant. V.J. has received grants, speaker honoraria, or consultancy fees from GlaxoSmithKline, Biocon, Baxter, Janssen, Medtronic, and NephroPlus. He has a policy of all funds being paid to his employer. A.K.B. has received consultancy fees from Janssen. The International Society of Nephrology provided administrative support for the design and implementation of the study and data collection activities. The authors were responsible for data management, analysis, and interpretation, as well as article preparation, review, and approval and the decision to submit the article for publication. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Global incidence of kidney transplantation. pmp, per million population.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Global prevalence of kidney transplantation. pmp, per million population.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
Incidence of kidney transplantation by country gross domestic product. AFG, Afghanistan; ALB, Albania; ARE, United Arab Emirates; ARG, Argentina; ARM, Armenia; AUS, Australia; AUT, Austria; BEL, Belgium; BGR, Bulgaria; BIH, Bosnia and Herzegovina; BLR, Belarus; BOL, Bolivia; BRA, Brazil; BTN, Bhutan; CAN, Canada; CHE, Switzerland; CHL, Chile; CHN, China; COL, Colombia; CRI, Costa Rica; CUB, Cuba; CYP, Cyprus; CZE, Czech Republic; DEU, Germany; DNK, Denmark; DOM, Dominican Republic; DZA, Algeria; ECU, Ecuador; EGY, Egypt; ESP, Spain; EST, Estonia; FIN, Finland; FRA, France; GBR, United Kingdom; GEO, Georgia; GRC, Greece; GTM, Guatemala; HND, Honduras; HRV, Croatia; HUN, Hungary; IDN, Indonesia; IND, India; IRL, Ireland; IRN, Iran; ISL, Iceland; ISR, Israel; ITA, Italy; JOR, Jordan; JPN, Japan; KAZ, Kazakhstan; KEN, Kenya; KWT, Kuwait; LBN, Lebanon; LKA, Sri Lanka; LTU, Lithuania; LUX, Luxembourg; LVA, Latvia; MAR, Morocco; MEX, Mexico; MLT, Malta; MMR, Myanmar; MNG, Mongolia; MYS, Malaysia; NGA, Nigeria; NIC, Nicaragua; NLD, Netherlands; NOR, Norway; NPL, Nepal; NZL, New Zealand; OMN, Oman; PAK, Pakistan; PAN, Panama; PER, Peru; PHL, Philippines; PMP, per million population; POL, Poland; PPP, purchasing power parity; PRT, Portugal; PRY, Paraguay; QAT, Qatar; ROU, Romania; RUS, Russian Federation; SAU, Saudi Arabia; SDN, Sudan; SGP, Singapore; SLV, El Salvador; SRB, Serbia; SVK, Slovak Republic; SVN, Slovenia; SWE, Sweden; SYR, Syrian Arab Republic; THA, Thailand; TJK, Tajikistan; TUN, Tunisia; TUR, Turkey; UKR, Ukraine; URY, Uruguay; USA, United States; VEN, Venezuela; VNM, Vietnam; ZAF, South Africa.

References

    1. Hamer RA, El Nahas AM. The burden of chronic kidney disease. BMJ. 2006;332:563–564. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liyanage T, Ninomiya T, Jha V, et al. Worldwide access to treatment for end-stage kidney disease: a systematic review. Lancet. 2015;385:1975–1982. - PubMed
    1. Howard K, Salkeld G, White S, et al. The cost-effectiveness of increasing kidney transplantation and home-based dialysis. Nephrology (Carlton). 2009;14:123–132. - PubMed
    1. Tonelli M, Wiebe N, Knoll G, et al. Systematic review: kidney transplantation compared with dialysis in clinically relevant outcomes. Am J Transplant. 2011;11:2093–2109. - PubMed
    1. Tonelli M, Nkunu V, Varghese C, et al. Framework for establishing integrated kidney care programs in low- and middle-income countries. Kidney Int Suppl (2011). 2020;10:e19–e23. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms