World's Best Organ Donors

Yesterday's daily chart from The Economist compared organ donation rates across selected countries. The subject of organ donation has been in the news recently, as the British Medical Association suggested this week that Great Britain change from an opt-in system to the opt-out system more commonly featured throughout Europe. The opt-in system gives individuals the opportunity to sign up for organ donation, but does not assume that they are otherwise willing to donate; the opt-out system, on the other hand, assumes individuals are willing to donate their organs unless they opt out.

As The Economist points out, however, differences in rates may have more to do with "culture and capacity...than legal regimes." After all, "Spain has an opt-out system and leads the league with around 32 deceased donors per million people; but so does Greece, and it lurks near the bottom with four. Americans, like Britons, have an opt-in system, but also one of the highest total donation rates in the world."