PAHO Report: Voluntary Blood Donation Increases in Latin America and the Caribbean

The number of blood donations in Latin America and the Caribbean rose by 15.5% between 2020 and 2023, according to new data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). During the same period, the percentage of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donations increased by 6.7% compared with 2019.

PAHO’s preliminary report, Access to Blood for Transfusion in Latin American and Caribbean Countries 2023, includes data from 17 Latin American countries and 6 non-Spanish-speaking Caribbean nations. Together, these countries collected more than 9.21 million units of blood in 2023, up from 7.77 million in 2020. Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina accounted for 75% of the region’s total collections.

Voluntary donors contributed 56.8% of all blood collected in 2023, marking a return to the upward trend observed before the COVID-19 pandemic. PAHO attributed this growth to digital campaigns, mobile drives and institutional partnerships. The remaining donations came from family or replacement donors. No country reported the use of paid donors.

The report noted additional improvements in safety and quality: All donated units were screened for transfusion-transmissible infections, and 90% were separated into components. However, PAHO stated that structural challenges remain: More than 1,900 collection sites and 1,400 processing centers operate independently across the region, and only four countries processed more than 10,000 units per year on average.