Organ trading is a lucrative industry generating up to US$1.7 billion annually. The problem? About 10 percent of all transplants are believed to be illegal. As explained in an article by the Harvard International Review, the limited supply of legal organs cannot meet the rapidly growing demand. In the U.S. alone, 100,000 people were on the national organ waiting list in 2023. This need is what continues to fuel the black market for the trafficking of organs in Asia.

An industry that thrives on the impoverished

The world’s largest illegal organ trade currently operates across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Iran. This underground industry targets victims from marginalized communities such as Central Nepal’s Kavre District, commonly known as the “Kidney Valley.” Many villagers in Kavre consider organ selling a “job” and voluntarily sell their kidneys without understanding the consequences. They are paid only a fraction of what a kidney is worth, deceived into thinking there will be no complications, and often told their kidney will grow back.

The article also highlights similar challenges faced by Vietnam:

“In April 2023, the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security discovered and disbanded a human organ trafficking ring in Hanoi, Vietnam. Organ recipients who purchased livers through this ring paid around US$50,000. However, sellers were given just under US$20,000.”

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