In Belgium, each individual, after their death, is presumed to be a potential donor. Since 2020, as well as organ donation, any Belgian citizen has had the option to express their will, explicit consent or opposition to the post-mortem donation of human body material like skin, cartilage, tendons or heart values for transplantation, the manufacture of medicines (advanced therapies) and for scientific research.
Orgadon's 2023 annual report provides quantitative data on the situation surrounding human body material (HBM) donation in Belgium since 2020. It presents information on the profile of HBM donors (living and deceased), the population of actual deceased donors and data on expressions of will, consent or opposition, for three categories of post-mortem HBM donation, obtained from all the data collected by Orgadon, HBM establishments and Statbel. This report does not cover data on organ donation.
Key facts from 2020 to 2022
- A slight increase in the number of declarations of explicit consent for transplantation, the production of medicines and research.
- A decrease in the number of declarations of opposition for transplantation, the production of medicines and research.
- A slight increase in the number of living donors together with a stable number of deceased donors.
- Over 8 out of 10 donors are living donors.
- Over 6 out of 10 deceased donors are over 55.
- There has been a slight upwards trend in the number of deceased donors as a percentage of the number of deceased persons in Belgium.
The report provides a detailed and analytical overview of the landscape of human body material donation in Belgium, highlighting the trends seen in the years 2020 to 2022.
View the full report.
Register your consent or opposition
In addition to any donations made during their lifetime, each Belgian citizen has the option to express their consent or opposition to post-mortem organ donation or HBM donation. This can be done by registering their choice via the Orgadon application orgadon.health.fgov.be, or through their municipality or their general practitioner.