Quick kidney disease facts and stats

CKD in the United States

• About 1 in 7 American adults have kidney disease (nearly 37 million) [1].
• About 830,000 Americans are living with kidney failure [2].
• Nearly 558,000 Americans are on dialysis [2].
• Global kidney failure prevalence has tripled since 1990 (from 1.6 million to 4.6 million in 2023). [3]
• .The number of kidney disease cases in the U.S. has held steady at almost 15% for the last 10 years, despite treatment advances. [4]
• Kidney disease currently affects more than 1 in 7, or 14%, of American adults [5], with people of color at greater risk for kidney failure [2].
• There were about 131,000 Americans newly diagnosed with kidney failure in 2023 (the most recent data available) [2].
• 9 out of 10 people with kidney disease are unaware they have it, and about 40% of those with severely reduced kidney function (but not yet on dialysis) are unaware they have kidney disease [6].

Kidney transplants

• More than 273,000 Americans are living with a kidney transplant [7].
• There are more than 90,000 Americans on the kidney transplant waiting list*, but in 2025, just 28,378 were able to get a kidney. There were 6,522 living donor transplants performed in the U.S. last year [8].
• In 2024, 28,492 were able to get a kidney transplant — 6,418 of those were from living donors [9].
• In 2023, just 27,332 were able to get a kidney transplant — 6,290 of those were from living donors [9].
• The shortage of available donor kidneys means that the vast majority of people who develop kidney failure are treated with dialysis. Of the over 131,000 Americans newly diagnosed with kidney failure in 2023 (the most recent data), nearly 96% of them began dialysis. Only 4,938 were able to receive a preemptive kidney transplant [10].

Risk factors

• More than 1 in 3 adults with diabetes may have kidney disease [11]. Diabetes is the top cause of kidney failure, causing about 43% of new cases in 2023 [12].
• 1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure may have kidney disease [11].
• Compared to white Americans [2]:
  • Black Americans are over 4 times more likely to develop kidney failure.
  • Americans of Hispanic ethnicity are more than 2 times more likely to develop kidney failure.
  • Native Americans are more than 2 times more likely to develop kidney failure.
  • Asian Americans are 1.4 times more likely to develop kidney failure.
• CKD is more common in people 65 years or older (34%) [13]. 

Basic facts about kidney disease

• Kidney disease is a silent killer, usually with no signs or symptoms until the late stages.
• Kidney disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S [14].
• While early kidney disease has no signs or symptoms, simple blood and urine tests can tell how well your kidneys are working. If you're at risk, talk to your doctor about getting tested.
• Kidney disease can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and death. 
• Every 24 hours, 360 people begin kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or preemptive transplant) for kidney failure.
• Early detection saves lives. Kidney disease is not reversible, but it is treatable. When caught and treated early, it's often possible to slow or stop the progression of kidney disease and avoid serious complications like heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and early death.
• Your kidneys are vital organs — just like your heart, lungs and liver. Your kidneys clean your blood, help control your blood pressure, help make red blood cells and keep your bones healthy. 
• Being physically active, keeping a healthy weight, following a kidney-friendly food and fluid plan and getting tested for kidney disease can help protect your kidneys. Even small changes can make a big difference. 

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chronic Kidney Disease Basics https://www.cdc.gov/kidney-disease/about/index.html
2. U.S. Renal Data System Annual Data Report ESRD Chapter 1, Incidence, Prevalence, Patient Characteristics and Treatment Modalities (Annual Data Report | USRDS)
3. Healio | Q&A: Global kidney failure prevalence tripled since 1990
4. MedPage Today | Chronic Kidney Disease Increasingly Driven by Diabetes
5. Chronic Kidney Disease: Common, Serious, and Costly | Chronic Kidney Disease | CDC
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CKD in the United States Updated May 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/kidney-disease/php/data-research/index.html
7. U.S. Renal Data System Annual Data Report | USRDS (reference table D.16 treatment modalities)
8. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (this data fluctuates)
9. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (National data - OPTN) (this data fluctuates)
10. Annual Data Report | USRDS Reference table D.15 incident ESRD patients by modality and state/territory
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Risk Factors for CKD https://www.cdc.gov/kidney-disease/risk-factors/index.html
12. USRDS 2024 Annual Data Report Prevalence Reference Table B.1
13. Chronic Kidney Disease in the U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics