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Blood donation urgently needed: One third fewer first-time donors in danger!
On World Blood Donor Day 2025, the acute shortage of donations will be highlighted. Experts are calling for more first-time donors for life-saving blood transfusions.
Blood donation urgently needed: One third fewer first-time donors in danger!
World Blood Donor Day on June 14th – A call for solidarity
Today, June 14, 2025, is World Blood Donor Day, and this day brings into focus the invaluable importance of blood donations. Carsten Heitmann, a passionate blood donor, has already donated blood 220 times. For him, this is a given and an opportunity to help others. He has been donating since 1976, when he took his first step in the Bundeswehr. And he wants to continue to be active as long as his health allows it. However, there is a worrying development: the acute shortage of blood donations, especially among first-time donors, is causing alarm among experts. NDR reports that In 2024, only around 3.16 million people in Germany donated blood, which represents a decrease of 11,000 compared to the previous year.
Jan Böttcher, a 29-year-old, has experienced firsthand how important blood donations are: He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2019 and had to undergo chemotherapy for several months. During this time, he received regular blood transfusions, which were crucial to his recovery process. Modern conventional medicine uses blood products widely and for a variety of medical applications, from tumors to serious injuries, making their availability urgent. But what is the reason for the decline in willingness to donate?
The challenge of recruiting young talent
The problem is multiple: Nationwide, only around three percent of the population currently donates blood. Particularly alarming is the decline in first-time donors, which fell from 307,164 in 2023 to 288,524 in 2024. According to current data Many donors are now over 60 years old, which illustrates the demographic change. It also shows that the awareness of the need for blood donations is not strong enough among the younger generation.
The transfusion doctors are worried. Sven Peine compares the current situation with the pension system - there is a dramatic lack of young donors, and those who donate are often older. Research into artificial alternatives to donor blood is unlikely to lead to a cessation of blood donations in the next 20 years, reinforcing the public appeal to donate.
The medical necessity of blood donations
Blood preparations only have a short shelf life - sometimes only a few days for platelets. Around 44% of the blood units used are required for tumor and cardiovascular diseases. The daily need for blood donations in Germany is around 15,000, which shows how important it is to mobilize people and get them excited about donating blood.
In order to reach people, it is necessary to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation as a task for society as a whole. This requires attention and awareness, particularly among young people, who are key to ensuring a stable blood supply in the future.
Heitmann sums it up: Blood donations are an easy way to help others. The challenge of recruiting new donors should not be underestimated, but by joining forces we may be able to help prevent stocks from running out. That's why every call, every donation and every campaign is so important - because blood donations save lives.