China’s organ donation system has achieved remarkable growth since its inception, with official data revealing more than 7.3 million citizens have now registered as organ donation volunteers. The China Organ Donation Administrative Center reported that as of December 31, 2025, the country has documented over 63,000 organ donation cases involving more than 197,000 organs, successfully preserving the lives of approximately 190,000 recipients.
According to Zhang Zongwei, deputy director of the administrative center, China’s organ donation program has evolved from non-existence to a sophisticated system since pilot initiatives began in 2010. The program has demonstrated world-leading post-transplant survival rates while making significant contributions to global medical knowledge in transplantation services.
Demographic analysis reveals that posthumous organ donors are predominantly male (81%), with female donors comprising 19% of the total. The most represented age group consists of individuals between 46 and 60 years old, accounting for 40.2% of all donors.
The human impact of this growing movement was highlighted through the story of Lu Qile, a vibrant teenager who tragically died in a traffic accident during the 2025 National Day holiday in Xiamen, Fujian province. Following his brain death diagnosis, Lu’s parents made the compassionate decision to donate his organs, including his heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, and corneas. Their donation provided five critically ill patients with life-saving transplants and restored vision to two individuals suffering from blindness.
Memorialization efforts have expanded significantly, with over 40 new organ donor memorial sites established at the county level and above in 2025 alone, bringing the national total to 316 such commemorative locations.
In a significant policy development, several regions including Dingxi in Gansu province and Shanwei in Guangdong province have recently classified human organ donation as an act of ‘heroism’ through formal regulations, reflecting growing institutional recognition of this altruistic practice.