Living donation


Most often living donors are close relatives or friend of the recipient, but you can still donate an organ to someone you do not know.

You can also donate part of your liver. 

Why do we need living donation?

Around 5,000 people in the UK are in need of a kidney transplant and across the UK, more than 250 patients died last year waiting for a kidney transplant, due to a shortage of organs.

Different kinds of living donation

If you know someone who needs a transplant and you wish to donate to them that is called directed kidney donation.

Find out more about being a living kidney donor here (pdf)

A living person who anonymously donates one of their kidneys to someone they do not already know is called a non-directed altruistic kidney donor.

Find out more about being a non-directed altruistic kidney donor here (pdf)

Sometimes if you are not a suitable 'match' for someone you wish to donate to  you can donate to someone else and another person can donate to your intended recipient, this is called paired/pooled donation and is part of the UK Living Kidney Sharing Schemes

Find out more about the UK Living Kidney Sharing Schemes here on paired/pooled donation here (pdf)

What can I donate?



Could I be a living kidney donor? FAQs (pdf)

Could I give my kidney to someone I don't know? (pdf)

The UK Living Kidney Sharing Schemes  (pdf)

Let's talk about... film series (Transplant TV)

Transplant TV living kidney donation filmsA series of short films about living donor kidney transplantation help to explain living donation through the eyes of living donors, transplant recipients and healthcare professionals.  


Living donor liver transplantation has been successfully performed in the UK since 1995.

A liver transplant operation is life saving surgery for patients with end stage liver disease. Find out more about being a living liver donor here Could I be a living liver donor? (pdf)


As a living donor you can donate your bone and amniotic membrane.

Can I become a living donor?

To become a living kidney or liver donor:

To become a tissue donor:

Further information