OPTN/SRTR 2024 Annual Data Report: Liver

The number of liver transplants performed in 2024 in the United States reached another record high at 11,458 overall, representing a 70.3% increase since 2014; 10,886 (95.0%) adults and 572 (5.0%) children received transplants. Living donation represented a lower proportion (4.5%) of adult transplants and higher proportion (19.4%) of pediatric transplants compared with the preceding year. Despite an ever-growing number of waitlist additions, removals from the waiting list outpaced them, resulting in a smaller waiting list compared with previous years. Alcohol-associated cirrhosis was the most common primary diagnosis among adult recipients, and biliary atresia among pediatric recipients. The number of deceased donors whose livers were recovered for transplant increased to 12,174, of whom 32.1% were donation after circulatory death donors and 33.7% were aged 55 years or older. This trend was associated with increased deceased donor transplant rates. Outcomes after transplant have improved across the board, with 92.0% graft and 93.5% patient survival at 12 months among adult deceased donor recipients, and 93.9% graft and 95.7% patient survival at 12 months among pediatric deceased donor recipients.