About 118.4 million blood donations are collected worldwide. 40% of these are collected in high-income countries, home to 16 % of the world’s population.

About 13 300 blood centres in 169 countries report collecting a total of 106 million donations. Collections at blood centres vary according to income group. The median annual donations per blood centre is 1 300 in the low-income countries, 4 400 in lower-middle-income countries and 9 300 in upper-middle-income countries, as compared to 25 700 in high-income countries.

There is a marked difference in the level of access to blood between low- and high-income countries. The whole blood donation rate is an indicator for the general availability of blood in a country. The median blood donation rate in high-income countries is 31.5 donations per 1000 people. This compares with 15.9 donations per 1000 people in upper-middle-income countries, 6.8 donations per 1000 people in lower-middle-income countries, and  five donations per 1000 people in low-income countries.

62 countries report collecting fewer than 10 donations per 1000 people. Of these, 34 countries are in the WHO African Region,  four in the WHO Region of the Americas, six in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region,  three in the WHO European Region, six in the WHO South-Eastern Asia Region, and nine in the WHO Western Pacific Region. All are low- or middle-income countries.