GENEVA — The global blood supply has become safer as voluntary, unpaid donations continue to rise, the World Health Organization (WHO) said ahead of World Blood Donor Day on June 14, while warning that many countries still face shortages and unequal access to life-saving transfusions.
New WHO data released on Friday showed that voluntary, unpaid donors accounted for more than 85% of an estimated 120 million blood donations collected worldwide in 2023. The agency said global blood collections increased by nearly one-fifth between 2013 and 2023, reflecting sustained growth in donation programs and improvements in national blood systems.
“Voluntary donors are the safest source” of blood, the WHO said in campaign materials published this week, emphasizing that regular, unpaid donations remain the foundation of safe and sustainable blood supplies.
The findings were released as governments, health organizations and blood services marked World Blood Donor Day under the theme “One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.” The annual campaign seeks to encourage regular donations and strengthen public awareness of the role blood transfusions play in emergency care, surgery, childbirth and treatment for cancer and chronic diseases.
According to the WHO, advances in screening, testing and quality-control systems have improved blood safety in many countries. The organization said blood donated through voluntary, non-remunerated programs generally carries lower risks than blood collected through replacement or paid-donor systems.
Despite the progress, the agency said access to safe blood remains uneven, particularly in lower-income countries. Patients experiencing severe bleeding during childbirth, trauma victims, children with severe anemia and people requiring regular transfusions for inherited blood disorders often face limited access to safe blood products, according to the report.
In a statement issued on Saturday, WHO South-East Asia regional officials said more than 80% of blood collected across the region now comes from voluntary donors, describing the trend as a significant improvement over previous years. Officials also reported that all donated blood in the region is screened for transfusion-transmissible infections and that quality-assurance systems continue to be strengthened.
The WHO said countries should continue investing in donor recruitment, testing and regulatory oversight to ensure reliable supplies. The agency noted that many nations still fall short of the donor participation rates needed to meet national demand.
As World Blood Donor Day events took place on Sunday, WHO officials said efforts to expand voluntary donation programs and improve access to safe blood products remain ongoing worldwide.
