Students donate blood as part of the blood donation relay event held at Dong-eui University in Busan on April 2. [YONHAP]
The government is pushing to raise the upper age limit for blood donation, currently capped at 69, to secure a stable supply amid low birthrates, an aging population and recurring seasonal declines in donations, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday.
The Health Ministry said it had finalized and unveiled the second basic plan for blood management from 2026 to 2030 at a meeting of the blood management committee. The plan focuses on expanding participation in blood donation and building a more stable blood supply system.
Under the plan, the government will review raising the upper age limit for blood donation, which has remained at 69 since it was increased from 64 through a revision to the Blood Management Act in 2008.
A ministry-commissioned study released in December last year, which analyzed donor screening standards and related issues, concluded that the upper age limit should be raised to 75.
Calls to raise the age cap have steadily emerged both within and outside the medical circle. Korea’s blood donation rate stood at 5.6 percent in 2024, higher than that of major countries, including Japan at 4 percent and France at 3.9 percent.
However, people in their teens and 20s accounted for 55 percent of all donors in Korea, indicating a heavy reliance on younger age groups and a risk in managing supply as the younger population shrinks, while demand for blood among older adults continues to grow.
Daegu city government officials take part in a group blood donation drive on a blood donation vehicle at Daegu City Hall on Dec. 8, 2025. [YONHAP]
The population of people in their teens and 20s fell from 11.6 million in 2020 to 10.6 million in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of transfusion recipients aged 50 and older increased from 347,000 in 2020 to 366,000 in 2024, with older adults accounting for the majority of transfusion cases.
Many countries overseas are either removing or relaxing upper age limits for blood donation. The United States, for instance, has no age restriction, while Britain, Australia and the European Union allow older adults with prior donation experience to continue donating based on medical judgment and other criteria.
Blood donation is also characterized by a high rate of repeat participation. As the population continues to age, more people are unable to donate due to age restrictions. In fact, blood donation rates among people in their 50s and those aged 60 and older have been rising every year relative to population size.
“We plan to review various scenarios, including eliminating the age restriction altogether while applying stricter eligibility standards or gradually raising the upper age limit in stages,” a Health Ministry official said.
The photo shows a blood bag collected from a donor in Gwangju on Jan. 23. [NEWS1]
The government also plans to ease blood donation regulations, including abolishing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) testing for liver function after 36 years, amid criticism that the test has limited usefulness.
Current enforcement rules under the Blood Management Act require all donated blood to undergo ALT testing and other screenings to determine eligibility. As a result, blood discarded because of failed ALT tests accounted for 32.2 percent of all discarded donations between 2020 and 2024.
However, countries including the United States, Germany and Canada have already eliminated ALT testing after introducing methods that directly detect hepatitis viruses. The World Health Organization also recommended excluding the test in 2009.
“We plan to revise the enforcement rules so the ALT test can be abolished within the first half of this year,” the ministry official said.
The government also plans to strengthen recognition and benefits for blood donors. The current rewards system, which mainly centers on ministerial commendations, will be expanded to include commendations from the prime minister and the president.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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