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Women, young donors step up as blood donations rise across Türkiye in 2025

Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) collected just over 3 million units of blood across Türkiye in 2025. (AA Photo)
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Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) collected just over 3 million units of blood across Türkiye in 2025. (AA Photo)
January 07, 2026 02:53 AM GMT+03:00

Women and young adults took up a bigger share of blood donations in Türkiye during 2025, according to data compiled from Turk Kizilay’s nationwide, voluntary blood drive system, which collected just over 3 million units over the year.

The Turkish Red Crescent, known locally as Turk Kizilay, said it reached a total of about 3.04 million units of donated blood in 2025 as it continued to supply hospitals across the country through a centralized collection and distribution network designed to keep donations safe and fully voluntary.

Women edged up their participation as the donor profile shifted

A demographic breakdown showed a noticeable rise in the share of female donors.

While women accounted for 13.2% of donors in 2024, their share increased to 15.4% in 2025, with men making up the remaining 84.6%. The figures were presented as an indicator that awareness and participation among women in blood donation have been building up.

Young donors inched higher, while the 25-44 group stayed dominant

Age-group data showed that the largest share of donations in both years continued to come from donors aged 25 to 44. In 2025, this group still made up 52.3% of donors, only slightly below its 2024 share of 52.7%.

Younger donors aged 18 to 24, however, edged up their contribution from 20.9% in 2024 to 21.3% in 2025, while donors aged 45 to 65 accounted for 26.5% in 2025, broadly in line with the previous year.

A Rh-positive remained the most common blood type donated

Looking at blood-type distribution, the most frequently donated group in both 2024 and 2025 was A Rh positive. Its share of donations was 36.45% in 2025, nearly unchanged from 36.56% in 2024.

Other groups followed in the same order across the period: O Rh positive, B Rh positive, AB Rh positive, then the Rh negative types. Rh positive" and "Rh negative" refer to whether red blood cells carry the Rhesus (Rh) factor, a key marker used to match blood safely for transfusions.

The data also highlighted that keeping donations steady for rarer blood groups matters for meeting routine hospital needs.

Stem cell donor registry grew under the TURKOK program

Beyond whole-blood donations, the Turkish Red Crescent also reported progress in stem cell donation efforts carried out under the TURKOK project, Türkiye’s national stem cell donor program.

By the end of 2025, the number of active stem cell donors reached 1,256,400, alongside 33,319 matches and 7,930 transplants reported for the same period.

How to sign up for a donation appointment in Türkiye

People who want to donate can book appointments through the kanver.org website, the Kizilay mobile blood donation app, the 168 call center, or via e-Nabiz, Türkiye’s state-run personal health portal that lets users manage healthcare appointments and records.

January 07, 2026 02:53 AM GMT+03:00
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