About World Blood Donor Day
World Blood Donor Day is held on 14 June, the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, who worked out the ABO blood groups. In 2027 it falls on Monday, 14 June 2027. WHO uses the day to thank unpaid donors and to push countries towards a blood supply that comes entirely from volunteers. India collected about 1.46 crore units in 2024, and roughly three-quarters of it came from voluntary donors.
Blood cannot be manufactured, and a unit lasts only a few weeks in storage. That is why hospitals need donors every week of the year and not only on 14 June.
Why is World Blood Donor Day on 14 June?
14 June is the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the Austrian scientist who worked out the ABO blood group system. Before that discovery, transfusions were a gamble and often killed the patient. Matching groups turned transfusion into routine medicine.
WHO and its partners have run the day since 2004; the 2024 campaign was themed "Celebrating 20 years of giving: thank you, blood donors!" More recent themes were "Give blood, give hope: together we save lives" in 2025 and "One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives." in 2026. The long-term goal behind all of them is the same: every unit of blood should come from a voluntary, unpaid donor rather than from a relative pushed to replace what a patient used.
Who can donate blood in India?
The rules are simple and most healthy adults clear them.
| Requirement | What blood centres in India ask for |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 to 65 years |
| Weight | At least 45 kg |
| Haemoglobin | At least 12.5 g/dL, checked with a finger-prick before you donate |
| Gap since last donation | At least three months; many centres ask women to wait four |
| Health on the day | No fever, no recent illness, normal pulse and blood pressure |
| Payment | None. Selling blood is not allowed in India, and blood centres have run on voluntary donors since paid donation was stopped in 1998 |
Blood centres also defer donors for a while after a tattoo or piercing, surgery, a course of antibiotics, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and some vaccinations. The medical officer at the centre decides the waiting period, so turn up and ask rather than ruling yourself out over WhatsApp advice.
The donation itself takes about ten minutes for roughly one unit, a small share of the five or so litres in an adult body. Plasma is replaced within a day or two, red cells over a few weeks. Eat before you go, drink water, and give the rest of the day a light load.
How much blood does India collect?
India's collection has been rising. A 2026 review by officials of the health ministry's blood transfusion services recorded about 1.26 crore units collected in 2023 and about 1.46 crore units in 2024, with voluntary donation reaching about 74.55 per cent in 2025 and 4,484 licensed blood centres running nationwide.
Two things shape how far each unit goes. Most centres, about 72 per cent, can separate a donation into red cells, plasma and platelets, so a single donation can reach more than one patient. And 234 centres use nucleic acid testing, a more sensitive screening method for infections in donated blood.
The Directorate General of Health Services has run the system since the National Blood Transfusion Council was set up following a Supreme Court order in 1996. The e-RaktKosh portal now lists blood centres and stocks across the country, and it is where to check availability before calling around.
Who in India actually needs the blood?
Not just accident victims. Regular, planned transfusions keep children with thalassaemia major and people with sickle cell disease alive, month after month. Blood is also needed for heavy bleeding after childbirth, for major surgery, for cancer patients who need platelets during chemotherapy, and for dialysis patients.
That steady demand is the argument for becoming a repeat donor. A festival camp that fills the shelves in October does nothing for a patient who needs platelets in February.
What to write on World Blood Donor Day
Twelfth donation today. Somebody's mother went home this week because of people like you. Thank you.
You were nervous all morning and it took ten minutes. Proud of you, and now you know you can do it every three months.
Thank you for the night calls and the careful cross-matching. Our family found out last year how much that work matters.
You came at 2 am for a patient you had never met. We will not forget it. Thank you.
Camp in the office lobby till 4 pm today. Ten minutes, a cup of juice, and one more unit on the shelf. Come along.
You can donate blood from today. It is the only gift that costs nothing and can save a life. Let's go together on Saturday.
For thanking hospital staff on their own days, see National Doctors' Day on 1 July and International Nurses Day on 12 May. Blood camps are also a common feature of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day on 8 May and World Health Day on 7 April.
How to wish someone on World Blood Donor Day
This is one of the few health days that is genuinely a thank you. Messages go to people who gave blood, to hospital blood centre staff, or to the friend who drove across town at 2 am for a stranger. Keep it concrete: name the donation, name who it helped if you know. A separate, very Indian use of the day is the blood request message, which works better when it carries the right details.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is World Blood Donor Day in 2026 and 2027?
World Blood Donor Day is on 14 Jun every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is World Blood Donor Day in 2027?
World Blood Donor Day 2027 falls on Monday, 14 June 2027.
Who can donate blood in India?
Anyone between 18 and 65 years old who weighs at least 45 kg, has haemoglobin of at least 12.5 g/dL and is well on the day. Blood centres also check pulse and blood pressure, and they defer donors for a period after illness, surgery, tattoos, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
How often can you donate blood?
At least three months should pass between whole blood donations, and many Indian blood centres ask women to wait four months. The gap lets your body rebuild its red cells before the next donation.
Does donating blood make you weak?
No. One donation is about one unit out of roughly five litres of blood in an adult body. Plasma is replaced within a day or two and red cells over a few weeks. Eating before donating, drinking water and avoiding heavy work for the rest of the day is usually enough.
Can blood be bought or sold in India?
No. Payment for blood is not allowed, and Indian blood centres have depended on voluntary and replacement donors since paid donation was stopped in 1998. Any hospital or agent asking for money for blood itself should be reported.
Where can I find blood in an emergency in India?
Start with the hospital's own blood centre, then check the government's e-RaktKosh portal, which lists licensed blood centres and the stock they report. Include the blood group, units needed, hospital name and a working phone number in any appeal you circulate.
Why is World Blood Donor Day on Karl Landsteiner's birthday?
Landsteiner discovered the ABO blood group system, which made it possible to match a donor to a patient safely. WHO chose his birthday, 14 June, for the day that thanks voluntary unpaid donors.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .