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A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure to place a healthy kidney from a living or deceased donor into a person whose kidneys no longer function properly. It is considered the best clinical treatment option for people with end-stage kidney disease, among those for whom it is appropriate. A transplant can help people with chronic kidney disease or end-stage kidney disease feel better and live longer.
In comparison with dialysis, kidney transplantation is associated with better health, increased life expectancy, improved quality of life and lower costs for the health system.[1]Open[1]Open[1]
Learn more about kidney transplantation.
Living Donor Kidney Transplant
Results
Over the 12-month period before the end of the fourth quarter (Q4) of fiscal year 2023/24, 1.6% of people treated for end-stage kidney disease in Ontario received a kidney transplant from a living donor. Performance on this indicator remained the same compared with the 12 months before the end of Q4 of fiscal year 2022/23, when 1.6% received a transplant from a living donor.
Living or Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant
Results
Over the 12-month period preceding the end of the fourth quarter (Q4) of fiscal year 2023/24, 6.1% of people treated for end-stage kidney disease in Ontario received a kidney transplant from a living or deceased donor. Performance in this indicator increased compared with the 12 months before the end of Q4 of fiscal year 2022/23, when 5.3% received a transplant.
Why it matters
There are benefits to receiving a kidney transplant from a living donor compared with a deceased donor, including:
- a shorter wait time for an individual to receive a transplant
- a kidney that starts working sooner after the surgery
- a kidney that lasts longer
- the possibility of receiving a kidney transplant before needing to go on dialysis
How Ontario compares
Ontario’s transplant rate in 2022 for living donor kidney transplants was 13.7 per million population, the second highest in the country. Only Manitoba had a higher rate of living donor kidney transplants. Ontario’s transplant rate in 2022 for deceased donor kidney transplants was 28.6 per million population. Only Alberta/Northwest Territories/Nunavut and British Columbia/Yukon Territories had higher rates of deceased donor kidney transplants.[2]Open[2]Open[2]
A 2019 study found that out of 35 countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada ranked 11th in kidney transplant rates from living donors and 16th in transplant rates from deceased donors.[3]
Improving care in Ontario
Since 2015, Trillium Gift of Life Network and the Ontario Renal Network have collaborated to improve access to kidney transplantation and living donation for all people in Ontario with chronic kidney disease.
In July 2021, the two organizations were brought under single leadership within Ontario Health, providing further opportunities to strengthen the kidney transplantation in Ontario. Together, we are committed to advance an integrated and person-centred approach to improve access to living kidney donation and kidney transplantation.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that data used in this publication were provided by the Trillium Gift of Life Network, which is funded by the Government of Ontario. The analyses, conclusions, opinions and statements expressed in the material are those of the author(s), and not necessarily those of the Trillium Gift of Life Network.
Last Updated: September 18, 2026
