If you’re living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or kidney failure, you may be wondering whether a kidney transplant is worth pursuing—and how successful it really is. The short answer: kidney transplants are highly successful and often offer a longer, better quality of life than dialysis for people who are eligible.*

What Is a Kidney Transplant?

Your kidneys filter waste and extra fluid from your blood. When they stop working well enough to do this on their own—called end-stage kidney disease (ESKD)—you need either long-term dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.

A kidney transplant replaces a failing kidney with a healthy one from a donor.

There are two main types:

• Living-donor kidney transplant (LDKT): the kidney comes from a living person, often a family member or close friend.
• Deceased-donor kidney transplant (DDKT): the kidney comes from someone who has passed away and donated their organs.

How Successful Are Kidney Transplants Overall?

Kidney transplants have very strong success rates.

• Up to 97% of transplanted kidneys are still working one year after surgery
• Many transplanted kidneys continue working 10–20 years or longer, especially with good follow-up care

For most eligible patients, a transplant:

• Extends life expectancy
• Improves energy, appetite, and daily functioning
• Reduces or eliminates the need for dialysis

Living Donor vs. Deceased Donor Kidney Transplants: What Outcomes Look Like

Both living-donor and deceased-donor kidney transplants are effective, life-saving treatments for people with advanced kidney disease. However, outcomes can differ in important ways.

According to a large, long-term study published in Transplantation and available through the National Institutes of Health, living-donor kidney transplants are consistently associated with better outcomes compared with deceased-donor transplants.

What the Study Found

• Living-donor transplants last longer overall. People who received a kidney from a living donor had better long-term graft survival (how long the transplanted kidney continues to work) and better overall survival.
• Lower risk of transplant failure. The study showed a significantly lower risk of kidney transplant failure in people who received kidneys from living donors.
• Better early kidney function. Kidneys from living donors tend to start working more quickly and more reliably after surgery.
• Shorter time on dialysis matters. Living-donor transplants often happen sooner, which reduces time spent on dialysis—an important factor linked to better long-term outcomes.

Why Living-Donor Transplants Often Perform Better

Researchers believe these advantages are related to several factors:

• The surgery can be planned, reducing stress on the donated kidney
• Living-donor kidneys usually have shorter “cold ischemia time” (time without blood flow)
• Donors are carefully screened and generally very healthy
• Recipients often receive the transplant before years of dialysis exposure

What Factors Affect Transplant Success?

Several things can influence outcomes:

• Age of the donor and recipient
• Time the kidney spends outside the body before transplant (shorter is better)
• Kidney function at hospital discharge
• Length of hospital stay
• Underlying health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease
• Race and ethnicity, which may reflect broader health and access-to-care differences

Your transplant team carefully evaluates all these factors to reduce risks and improve long-term success.

Who Can Get a Kidney Transplant?

Most people with CKD who are expected to reach kidney failure should be evaluated for transplant—often 6–12 months before dialysis is needed.

You may not qualify if you have:

• An active infection
• Certain cancers
• Severe heart disease
• Ongoing substance use
• Health conditions that make surgery unsafe

Each transplant center has its own criteria, so eligibility can vary.

The Bottom Line

Kidney transplants are one of the most successful treatments in modern medicine. While not everyone qualifies, and wait times can be long, many people who receive a transplant live longer, feel better, and regain independence compared to staying on dialysis.

If you have advanced CKD or kidney failure, talk with your healthcare team about whether a transplant evaluation makes sense for you. Starting the conversation early can make a real difference.

Sources: 

• National Library of Medicine (August 19, 2025). “Comparison of outcomes after living and diseased donor kidney transplantation: UK national cohort study”. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Healthline (September 29, 2022). “How successful is the kidney transplant procedure?” healthline.com

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