Overview

• On 1 January 2025, 8.1 million adults were listed as donors, a net increase of nearly 30,000 year over year, according to new CBS and Donorregister data.
• Overall 58% of adults are recorded as donors, including 34% with explicit consent and 24% marked as ‘no objection’; about 11% defer to next of kin and 31% give no permission.
• Young adults drive the shift to passive enrollment, with 41% of 18–25-year-olds making no choice, while refusal among those in that age group who did choose rose to just over 45%.
• Marked disparities persist: men are almost 1.5 times more likely than women to skip registering a choice, lower-educated adults are more likely to refrain and to refuse when they do choose, and similar gaps appear by migration background.
• In municipal totals Groningen ranks highest at 68%, Rozendaal follows at 67%, while Neder-Betuwe is lowest at 43% and Urk at 47%, with several Bible Belt municipalities among the lowest shares.