2022 Aussie Blood Donor Stats and Snacks

It’s been a year of learnings (and some un-learnings), of recovery and a journey to what we hope is a brighter and better new year. 

We want to take a step back from the hustle and bustle and thank all our donors, staff and every person who has played a vital role in giving life.

Before we begin speculating what surprises may be in-store for the new year, we thought a wrap up of 2022 is due. 

Welcome to the crew

Our first kudos goes to you, our donors! We had the privilege of welcoming 110,747 new donors, bringing our crew of life-giving superstars to a whopping 524,258 strong.

Fuelling the country

The need for blood never stops and our aim is to keep the supply steady for anyone who needs it across the country. With the help of our selfless donors, we were able to collect 1,030,000 litres of blood, plasma and platelets — that’s enough to fill 100 petrol tanker trucks!

Going with the flow

The number of whole blood donations sat at 730,513 which means there was 343,000 litres of blood collected, or a little under half the volume of water flowing down the Murray River at any given time.

Changing more lives, more often

Our superstar plasma donors made 768,622 plasma donations, ensuring we had 673,000 litres of plasma to help people in 18 different life-giving ways. That’s enough to fill a fleet of four Airbus A380s.

At the centre of life-giving

The most trafficked donor centre was Melbourne CBD with 28,000 donors, followed by Town Hall in Sydney at 21,000 donors. Our Melbourne CBD Donor Centre also welcomed the greatest number of new donors at 6,000.

Having an edge over

Our Edgewater Donor Centre in WA shone this year, more than doubling the number of new donors welcomed — jumping from 1,267 to 2,580 in 12 months.

State stats

If you’re wondering what else has been going on around the country, NSW welcomed the largest number of new donors — 31,000 of you, while Victoria boasts the largest number of donors overall at 153,000.

Battle of the baked goods

Pies vs. sausage rolls are an age-old battle. We get it, choosing between perfectly filled hand-held treats isn’t easy (especially when they’re all so delish). This year, our donors have shared the love equally, resulting in a tie! There were 144,000 pies and 144,000 sausage rolls eaten.

You’ve got the sauce

With a great pie or sausage roll, comes the great responsibility of saucing it to perfection. Whether you’re a pourer or a dipper, there were 6,600 litres of tomato sauce consumed.

Tea-riffic Treats

After you’ve done that all-important act of life-giving in the donor chair, you sure deserve a cuppa. Our volunteers gave us the tea and we can report it was the preferred hot drink of 2022 with 202,000 cups served.

Hitting milestones

Who doesn’t love a bit of friendly competition? This year, 27,810 donors reached milestone donations over 25; while 2,703 donors hit their 100th donation milestone.
One of our donors even reached 700 donations, something only 32 donors have ever done in the history of Lifeblood!

Having learned all this, you’ll likely agree that our donors are the Lifeblood of Australia. As we wrap up 2022 with a whole lot of cheer, our biggest shout out goes to our generous donors who’ve helped to supply the community with safe, high-quality blood and blood products. Thank you!