The number of people opting out of the HSE’s organ donation system is on the rise – with new figures showing that almost 62,000 people have opted out.
New figures released to Deputy Carol Nolan via a Parliamentary Question response shows that as of April 2026, the number of people currently registered on the Organ Donation Opt-Out Register stands at 61,935.
The numbers show an increase on opt-outs reported at the beginning of the year; It was reported in January that a total of 58,482 people across the State had opted out of the scheme by 31 December. An average of nearly 300 people a day had added their names to the opt-out register for organ donation since new legislation was introduced last June.
The Human Tissue Act 2024 makes every adult a donor unless they expressly withdraw their consent. In the first 10 days of the law taking effect saw almost 40,000 people add their names to the opt-out register; at a rate of nearly 155 opt-outs every hour in the first ten days.
In a formal response to Offaly TD Ms Nolan, the HSE said: “As of April 2026, the number of people registered on the Organ Donation Opt-Out Register stands at 61,935.”
The Human Tissue Act 2024, which seeks to increase the number of organ donors, introduces a presumption that your organs will be available for donation after you die.
It was previously the case that people had to actively opt in to the process. Adults, other than those in an excluded group, are considered to have agreed to donate unless they actively opt out.
If a person does not wish to donate their organs, they should note this via the national organ donation opt-out register.
The HSE says people who have registered to opt out “will have their wishes respected”, and their family will not be approached on the issue after death.