By Michelle Vermeulen

World Population Day is observed on the 11th of July to raise awareness about global population issues such as family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health, and human rights. The origin of this day was inspired by Five Billion Day on the 11th of July 1987, which is the approximate date the world’s population reached five billion people*****.

Today, the world’s population is sitting well over 8 billion people. When looking at one of the many live population counters, the world’s population is growing at a staggering rate of around 32 million people a year (and changes continuously) ****.

With so many people on earth, are there enough blood donations?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 118.5 million*** units of donated blood are collected globally annually. Although there has been an increase of 10.7 million blood donations from voluntary unpaid donors from 2008 to 2018, it is still not enough. WHO also states that any country’s requirement for safe blood would be easily met if 1 to 3 per cent of a country’s population donates blood regularly**.

Therefore, if 1% of the world’s population donates twice a year, we would see 160 million units of blood collected annually. If 2% donates twice, it would be 320 million units per year; if 3% donates, it would be 480 million units of blood per year.

So how do we compare here in the Western Cape in terms of population and blood donation?
According to the 2022 Stats SA mid-year, the Western Cape population is 7 212 142*. If we look at the growth trend from 2015, when our Western Cape population was 6 200 100*, we are steadily increasing. Currently, we have an active donor base of just about 1% of the Western Cape population. To ensure that we can supply the province with sufficient, safe blood and blood products in the coming years, we need to increase our active donor base by closer to 2%.

Therefore, next time when you are due to donate blood, bring your friend or family member along and help us to grow the active donor base so we can ensure a future for the growing population.

References:
*2022 Stats SA mid-year
**World Blood Donor Day 2023 (who.int)
***Facts in pictures: Blood transfusion (who.int)
****World Population Clock: 8 Billion People (LIVE, 2023) – Worldometer (worldometers.info)
*****World Population Day – Wikipedia