Organ Donation and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders

Health statistics for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders are limited, and patients can be categorized with all Asian Americans, leading to numbers that often do not portray existing health disparities for this population. In 2019, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NHPI) alone made up 0.2 percent of the national population.

  • The number of organ transplants performed on Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders in 2020 was about 25 percent of the number of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders currently waiting for a transplant. The number of transplants performed on whites was 48.8 percent of the number currently waiting.
  • While 0.6 percent of the total candidates currently waiting for transplants are Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, they comprised 0.3 percent of organ donors in 2020.
  • The number of organs recovered in 2020 from deceased Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander donors was almost twice the number of living Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander donors.
  • Native Hawaiians are more likely than whites living in Hawaii to be diagnosed with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have higher obesity rates and are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with chronic liver disease, as compared to whites. These conditions are known to put patients at risk for organ failures.
U.S. Transplant Waiting List – Candidates by Race/Ethnicity
OrganAll Candidates# of NHPI CandidatesNHPI % of All Candidates # of White CandidatesWhite % of All Candidates
All Organs106,6666080.643,05440.4
Kidney90,2355680.632,37735.9
Liver11,704290.27,86567.2
Heart3,53170.22,00456.8
Lung92210.266166.6

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/*

Transplants Performed in the U.S. by Recipient Ethnicity, 2020
NumberPercentage of Total 2020 Transplants
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1520.4
White20,99753.8
Total Transplants39,036100

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

U.S. Organ Donors Recovered, 2020
Donor Type# of All Donors# of NHPI Donors% of All NHPI Donors # of White Donors% of All White Donors
Living5,729180.34,12972.1
Deceased12,588350.38,24965.5
Total18,317530.312,37867.6

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

U.S. Organ Donors Recovered, 2020
Donor Type# of NHPI Donors% of All NHPI Donors # of White Donors% of All White Donors
Living1834.04,12933.4
Deceased3566.48,24966.6
Total5310012,378100

Source: HRSA. U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Based on OPTN data as of August 23, 2021.
https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/view-data-reports/national-data/

*OPTN data is updated monthly online. The data and statistics for this section will be updated annually.