How long is the wait for a kidney?

1. We don’t know when a deceased donor with a suitable blood group and tissue type will become available
2. There may be many other patients with a similar blood group and tissue type to you waiting for a kidney at the same time
3. Some kidney transplant centres have shorter average waiting times than others

An online personalised calculator, which has been developed by NHS Blood and Transplant, can help doctors and nurses communicate risk and benefit about transplantation to patients, and can help patients more easily understand the numbers and statistics presented to them in clinic. It helps visualise possible outcomes for patients from the point of listing (e.g. how long your wait might be) or point of transplant (e.g. how long your transplant may last) for deceased organ transplantation.

You'll find a link to the calculator on our ODT Clinical website. Patients should only use these tools in consultation with a medical professional.

Not all kidneys from deceased donors are the same – some kidneys might carry more risks than others. If you are willing to accept a higher risk kidney, then you are likely to wait a shorter time on the transplant waiting list.

Learn more about donated organ risks

In general, you won’t wait as long for a kidney transplant if you:

• Have blood group AB
• Have a common tissue type
• Have fewer antibodies in your blood

The more of the above that applies to you, the more likely it is that a deceased donor kidney will be able to be offered to you. Children and young people under 18 years of age have shorter waiting times than adults, on average. Patients from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities tend to wait longer for a deceased donor kidney transplant than white patients.

More information on waiting time for patients from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities