Data and statistics
- 90% of people who are eligible to donate blood are not currently doing so.
- Blood donations have a short shelf-life, so regular donors are essential to secure a constant supply.
- Due to a shortage of blood and ageing populations, the age limits for blood donation acceptability are becoming increasingly flexible. The standard age limits for blood donation are 18–65 years of age, but in some European countries this is 17–70. In some places outside Europe, the lower and higher limits go from 15 with parental consent to over 70 years of age.
- Regular blood donors are individuals donating at least twice a year, on a regular basis. They are demonstrated to be the source of safest blood donations. They have regular health checks on the occasion of each donation, and a healthy life style.
- The prevalence of markers for blood borne infections in blood donations can vary from 0.001% to 7.5%, related to the category of blood donors. Blood which is found to be infected, for example with hepatitis B or C or HIV, is disposed of and not used for transfusions.
- Statistics show that one donated unit of whole blood can save up to 3 lives, through separation and use of its components.
- The average number of total blood donations rose from 34.7 per 1000 population in 2008 to 36.5 in 2010, in the 30 countries in the WHO European Region that reported comparable data
- Since the launch of the South-eastern Europe (SEE) Health Network blood safety project in 2004, the volume of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donations in Albania quintupled.
- The average number of donations across the European Region ranges from 6 to 67.6 per 1000 inhabitants, with Demark reporting the highest blood donation rate.
- To be self-sufficient in national blood supplies, a country is estimated to need to maintain a minimum average of 20–25 regular donors per 1000 inhabitants. National needs vary depending on the local epidemiology of disease, and the technologies available to address these.
- Giving blood regularly has itself been ascribed potential health benefits in coronary artery disease and oxygen-free radical chemistry. Regular blood donation is a life saving treatment for hereditary haemocromatosis and polycitemia vera.
