Learn About Korea's Blood Donation Culture and Check How to Take Part

If you are thinking of taking part, check the age, weight and residence requirements first. At the donation center, staff use your questionnaire and screening results to decide whether you can donate that day.

How much blood is donated in Korea each year?

Blood Services Statistics 2025, published by Korean Red Cross Blood Services, includes donations collected by the Red Cross and other blood centers. The national total and Red Cross figures in the table cover different groups. The unit is donations, rather than people, because repeat donations count separately.

The figures are full-year totals from pages 60 and 69 of the yearbook. The donation rate is total donations divided by the total population, multiplied by 100. Population figures come from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's resident registration statistics. Checked on October 17, 2026.

A 5.56% donation rate therefore does not mean 5.56% of people donated. There were 1,251,288 individual donors in 2025, excluding repeat counts. The yearbook separately labels the share of these donors in the donation-age population, ages 16-69, as the 'actual national donation rate': 3.26%. Distinguishing donations from individual donors gives a clearer picture of participation.

What happens when you visit a donation center?

Bring photo identification on your first visit. The Blood Services guide takes you through the process from completing the donor questionnaire to resting afterward.

1. Read the donation information and complete the electronic donor questionnaire.
2. Show your identification while staff check your previous donation records and test results.
3. Have your weight, blood pressure, pulse and temperature checked, along with a hemoglobin test. First-time donors also have an on-site blood type test.
4. A screening nurse reviews your questionnaire, assesses whether you can donate and discusses the types of donation available to you.
5. After donating, rest in the designated area and receive refreshments and a blood donation certificate.

The guide lists around 10-15 minutes for whole blood donation. That is not the total visit time including consultation, screening and rest. If you plan to stop by between other commitments, leave time for registration and resting too.

Are age and weight the only eligibility requirements?

The age range for whole blood donation depends on the volume collected. For 320 mL, it is 16-69; for 400 mL, it is 17-69. Men must weigh at least 50 kg and women at least 45 kg, while 400 mL whole blood donation requires at least 50 kg regardless of sex. Donors aged 65 or older must also have donated between ages 60 and 64.

Meeting those conditions still requires on-site screening and an interview. The official process guide says the interview protects the health of both donors and recipients. Tell the nurse about the matters asked in the questionnaire, such as medication use and medical history.

After a whole blood donation, the earliest next donation is the same weekday eight weeks later. Whole blood donation is restricted if you have already made five whole blood donations in the past year, and annual collection-volume limits can also affect eligibility. Check the next date you are given rather than assuming that enough elapsed time alone makes you eligible again.

What should foreign residents check?

The Blood Services FAQ says foreign donors must have lived continuously in Korea for at least one year and be able to communicate in Korean. If time spent abroad within the past year totals 90 days or more, blood collection is deferred for one year from the most recent entry date. These conditions differ from visiting during a short trip.

The one-year residence rule is meant to protect transfusion recipients from endemic diseases abroad that are absent in Korea or hard to check for. The Korean communication requirement also allows for a third-party interpreter. Before visiting, tell the donation center about your residence and travel history, and ask whether you may bring an interpreter and which identification and proof of residence to bring.

How can a blood donation certificate help someone else?

The Korean Red Cross program provides donated certificates free of charge to patients receiving treatment or who have received transfusions. The standard limit is 500 certificates per patient per calendar year, matching the amount of blood actually transfused; some eligible patients can receive up to 1,000. Patients do not automatically receive a fixed allocation.

Presenting certificates to the hospital can exempt the patient-paid portion of transfusion costs. Eligibility conditions apply, including exclusion of people whose patient-paid medical costs are already covered by other programs. Applications require documents such as a copy of identification and hospital-issued proof of the amount transfused. Contact a blood center near your home or the hospital providing treatment.

If you have blood donation certificates you would like to share, ask a nearby blood center how to donate them.