Did you know that only 5% of people who could give blood actually do?
Donated blood is stored in ‘blood banks’, but it cannot be stored for very long, which means that on most days there is less than a week’s supply of blood in the UK’s blood banks.
If the country suddenly needed a lot more blood, for example, if a lot of people were injured in a major disaster, or if the numbers of donors dropped, we could have a serious shortage of blood, and people might die.
This means we really need many more people to become blood donors.
What is blood?
Your body has around 4–6 litres (8.5–12.5 pints) of blood, made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a liquid called plasma.
Is all blood the same?
Dr Karl Landsteiner won the Nobel Prize in 1930 discovering that not all blood is the same. There are four main blood groups – A, B, AB and O. Each of these can be positive or negative, so there are eight different variations of blood in total.
Blood types react differently to each other, and some are incompatible with others. O negative (known as the universal group) can safely be given to anyone.
Your blood type is inherited from your biological parents, in a similar way to eye or hair colour.
Certain ethnic and national groups have a more common blood group. In the UK, the most common blood group is O. In Norway, Denmark and Austria it’s A. In Chinese and Asian communities it’s B.
As O is the most common blood group in the UK, people in this group sometimes think they don’t need to give blood, but they couldn’t be more wrong! More type O blood is needed because it’s the most common type!
What is donated blood used for?
Hospitals and doctors need donated blood to treat a lot of different illnesses, and it’s also used in most surgical operations.
What’s it like to give blood?
Watch a virtual blood donation session to find out.
Want to know more?
Read more facts about blood and donation.
Or check out our frequently asked questions.
You can also find your nearest blood donation centre.
