Eighty percent of Germans will benefit from a blood donation during their life — too few donate

Hi, I’m Moritz, a product designer at Datawrapper. In two weeks, on June 14, we'll celebrate World Blood Donor Day. So, for my first Weekly Chart, I want to take a closer look at Germany’s blood donation system — and maybe inspire you to register as a donor too!

Almost 80% of Germans will need a blood transfusion or medication derived from blood donations at least once in their life. And to meet this demand, the system needs a minimum of 3.7 million whole blood donations per year — or 15,000 per day.

Yet, only 3% of the country’s population are regular donors. Apart from a few ups and downs, blood donations have been stagnating around the minimum demand threshold.

At first glance, Germany’s blood donation system appears stagnant but relatively stable. But the yearly totals reveal little about how fragile blood reserves can become during periods of high demand.

Despite stable yearly donations, local blood reserves are under pressure

It’s important to remember that blood products have limited shelf lives, hospital demand fluctuates, and some blood types are significantly rarer than others. That means that unexpected emergencies and seasonal trends can quickly destabilize local reserves.

To better understand the day-to-day situation, I analyzed daily reserve updates published by the regional German Red Cross blood donation service for Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, the only organization reporting the current status of reserves. (In Germany, 75% of donations are collected by five regional blood donation services of the German Red Cross. Combined, they offer over 38,000 donation appointments per year all across the country.)

The current status of blood reserves is broken down by blood type, showing that some groups are more at risk than others, and published as an abstract ranking from high to alarming:

• High: Reserves are full, but donations are always welcome.

• Normal: Reserves are covering the daily demand, but due to limited shelf life, continuous donations are still needed.

• Low: Reserves are staggering, donations are needed within the next days to keep operations running.

• Critical: Reserves are getting low, and donors are called in to donate.

• Alarming: Reserves are so low that donations are urgently needed to ensure an uninterrupted supply for hospitals.

To get a feel for seasonal fluctuations, I analyzed the numbers for the month of January this year. It suggests that during high-demand periods like the flu season, which typically peaks in January and February, the system can already enter critical states.

After looking into donation numbers and local reserve status, I wanted to find out more about the blood donors who keep the system running.

Germany’s donor base is aging, and the number of first-time donors is declining

The average age among donors is around 48 years old, and about a quarter of them are part of the baby boomer generation. That is why recruiting new donors is becoming urgent, as the current generation gradually drops out of the donor pool, due to old age and health conditions, which make blood donation more risky.

In 2023, the Red Cross began reporting the numbers of first-time donors, and unfortunately, they are declining. Luckily, also in 2023, a previously existing age limit of 60 years was lifted, and each donor’s ability to donate can now be assessed individually by their doctor.

Donor recruitment may not be the whole story. A survey published by the Federal Institute of Public Health found that there were fewer blood donors among young people. On the other hand, over half of those between 18 and 25 who donated at least once shared that they gave blood in the last 12 months, suggesting they may be donating more frequently than other age groups.

Germany’s blood donation system is not collapsing, but the data suggest that it is operating with a small buffer, which makes it vulnerable during times of high demand. And what's most interesting to me: the temporary local shortages hidden behind seemingly stable yearly donations.

I hope that increased recruitment efforts can reach a younger audience and keep them engaged, once they begin donating. You never know when you might need a little extra blood!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into blood donation. If you're from Germany and would like to find donation events near you, you can visit Blutspende.de. Next Thursday, Linus from the app development team will take care of the Weekly Chart. We’ll see you then!