Organ donation numbers remain stable / 185 people in Switzerland donated their organs after death in 2025
30.01.2026 | from Swisstransplant
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30.01.2026, Last year almost mirrors the previous year with 187 donors. Thanks to good European cooperation, there is a slight increase in the number of transplanted donated organs.
1,325 people in Switzerland were on the national waiting list for a life-saving donated organ as of 31.12.2025, with 67 deaths recorded last year. These numbers are similarly high to the previous year, when 1,331 people were waiting for a donated organ and 75 died. Thanks to excellent cooperation with European partners, 30 more donated organs were transplanted in Switzerland last year: 539 organs in 2024 and 569 organs in 2025 (excluding living donations).
Solidarity beyond national borders
As of 1 January 2026, PD Dr. med. Franz Immer, CEO and Medical Director of Swisstransplant, serves as the Secretary-General of the international organ exchange platform FOEDUS (European Organ Exchange Organization), having been its President from 2020 to 2024. The platform includes 25 member states with over 500 million residents. With a total of 69 imported and 25 exported organs via the FOEDUS platform, Switzerland remained one of the most active member states in 2025. Over the last five years, transplant activity via the FOEDUS platform has quadrupled. Children and adolescents are the most frequent beneficiaries of this life-saving exchange.
Preparation for expanded opt-out regulation
Swisstransplant is working in collaboration with the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) and hospital professionals to introduce the expanded opt-out regulation. "The refusal rate in family discussions is high in Switzerland at 60 percent in an international comparison - despite the Swiss population having a positive attitude towards organ donation," says PD Dr. Franz Immer. "With the transition to the expanded opt-out regulation envisaged for as early as spring 2027, we hope for an improvement in this regard."
Yes or No to organ donation?
Organ donation remains voluntary. It is recommended to record one's personal decision - Yes or No to organ donation - and communicate this to relatives. Suitable options are an organ donor card, advance directive, or electronic patient dossier.
Press contact: PD Dr. Franz Immer Director Swisstransplant Specialist for Heart Surgery FMH T +41 58 123 80 00 media@swisstransplant.org
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Conclusion of this article: « Organ donation numbers remain stable / 185 people in Switzerland donated their organs after death in 2025 »
Swisstransplant
Swisstransplant is the Swiss National Foundation for Organ Donation and Transplantation.
Commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), it acts as the national allocation office responsible for the lawful allocation of organs to recipients and maintains the corresponding waiting list.
It organizes all activities related to organ allocation at the national level. In doing so, it works closely with European allocation organizations.
Since 2009, Swisstransplant has been entrusted by the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Health Directors to nationally coordinate the tasks defined by the Transplantation Act regarding organ and tissue donation, ensuring these are fulfilled together with the donation networks and leveraging synergies.
Note: The "About Us" text is taken from public sources or from the company profile on HELP.ch.
Source: Swisstransplant, Press release
Original article published on: Organspendezahlen halten sich stabil / 185 Menschen haben in der Schweiz 2025 ihre Organe nach dem Tod gespendet