The Orgadon annual report provides quantitative data on the donation of human body material in Belgium since 2020. In 2023, the number of declarations of explicit consent increased considerably, while the number of declarations of opposition showed a slight increase.
In Belgium, each individual is presumed to be a potential donor after their death. Since 2020, in addition to organ donation, all Belgian citizens can express their will, explicit consent or opposition, regarding the post-mortem donation of human body material (HBM) such as skin, cartilage, tendons or heart valves for transplantation, for the manufacture of medicinal products (advanced therapies) and for scientific research.
The Orgadon annual report contains information on the profile of HBM donors (living and deceased), the population of actual deceased donors and data on the expression of will, consent or opposition, for the three categories of HBM post-mortem donation, obtained from the data set collected by Orgadon, the HBM establishments and Statbel.
The report provides a detailed and analytical overview of the human body donation landscape in Belgium, highlighting trends over the years 2020 to 2023. This report does not cover data on organ donation.
Highlights of 2023
• There is a major increase (> 40% compared to 2022) in the number of declarations of explicit consent for transplantation, the manufacture of medicinal products and research. Transplantation is the type of donation where the increase is the highest, with over 60 % more consents than in 2020.
• There is an increase in the number of declarations of opposition for transplantation, the manufacture of medicinal products and research compared to 2020.
• While trends continue, there is a slight decrease in the number of living donors together with stability or even a very slight increase in the number of deceased donors.
• As in 2022, more than 8 out of 10 donors are living donors, more than 6 out of 10 deceased donors are over 55 years of age, and the percentage of actual deceased donors in relation to the number of deceased people in Belgium is tending to increase slightly.
Consult the full report.
Register your consent or opposition
In addition to donating during their lifetime, all Belgian citizens have the opportunity to express their consent or opposition to organ or HBM donation post-mortem. This can be done by registering your choice via the application orgadon.health.fgov.be or via your municipality or general practitioner.