Saturday is National Donor Day, which honors organ and tissue donors who made the selfless decision to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation.
BY THE NUMBERS
IN 2025
467
Number of Hoosier organ donors in 2025
1,214
Number of lives saved by 2025 Hoosier organ donors
1,379
Number of organs donated by Hoosiers in 2025
SINCE 2016
19,655
Number of Hoosier organ donors
25,071
Number of family members of Hoosiers who were organ donors
2,331
Number of U.S. cities where family members of Indiana donors reside
50
U.S. states with family ties to Hoosier organ donors
More than 1,400 Indiana residents are currently on the national transplant waiting list, waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant from a registered organ donor. The national transplant waiting list currently stands at more than 105,000 Americans.
– More than 48,000 organ transplants were performed in the U.S. in 2025.
– Every day, 17 people die waiting and every 8 minutes, another person is added to the list.
– One organ donor can save eight lives. One tissue donor can heal more than 75 others. One cornea donor can restore sight to two people.
Despite age or medical history, anyone can sign up to be an organ donor. There are five ways that Hoosiers can sign up to become an organ donor. They can:
– Say “yes” when conducting business at their local Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch.
– Sign up online at DonateLifeIndiana.org.
– Say “yes” when they apply online for a hunting, fishing or trapping license through the state Department of Natural Resources.
– Sign up when applying for or renewing their professional license to work in Indiana through the state’s Professional Licensing Agency.
– Say “yes” through the Health app on their iPhone or iPad.