Most countries around the world are in short supply of blood for transfusions

Blood transfusions are a key part of health care, yet supplies are often nowhere near demand. A new study found that in 2017, the world needed more than 300 million blood units, but was short by nearly 30 million units. Of the 195 countries around the world, 119 did not have a sufficient supply of blood units and were short by a combined 100 million blood units. Higher-income countries were largely able to meet their demand, with Denmark having the largest supply. In contrast, South Sudan had the greatest shortfall, where the need was 75 times greater than the country’s supply. The WHO recommends 10-20 donors to supply enough blood to help 1,000 people, but the authors write that many countries will need more donors to meet the overwhelming demand.