In articles on the Internet, there are estimates that tens of thousands of Witnesses have died because of refusal of whole blood or blood components. All estimates I have seen have been guesses not based on concrete statistics. As far as Norway is concerned, there are concrete statistics, and by applying these statistics to countries with the same medical standard, we may get an approximate number of deaths for refusing red blood cells, white blood cells, platlets, or blood plasma.
I would like to stress the importance of the blood components for the treatment of severe hemmorrhage. If these components were allowed, there would be no deaths due to lack of blood.
People who are terminally ill may prolong their lives by taking full blood or certain blood components. Such persons are not included in my statistics. The statistics include persons who get a sudden severe hemorrhage or are having surgery, and who have lost so much blood that they need full blood or blood components to continue to live.
My statistics is based on the situation in Norway between 1990 and 2010. During these years, I served on the Hospital Liaison Committee in Oslo. We met once a month, and at these meetings we monitored the situation across the country. This meant we knew the situation across Norway among Witnesses who refused blood and blood components.
A CALCULATION BASED ON THE POPULATION IN THE COUNTRIES
The approximate number of inhabitants in Norway during the 20 years between 1990 and 2000 was 4.5 million, and there were 2 Witnesses who died but could have survived if they had received blood components.
For my statistics, I assume that European countries, as well as the USA and Canada, have the same medical standard as Norway, and I compare these countries with Norway. The approximate number of inhabitants in the countries during the 20 years was 1.000 million. When 2 persons per 4.5 million died in Norway over 20 years, that means 444 persons died per 1,000 million inhabitants over 20 years. This means that during 21st century, 577 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Europe, the USA, and Canada died because they refused blood components.
If we extrapolated these statistics that include the countries in Europe, the USA, and Canada, to the rest of the world with approximately 6 billion people, this would mean that 3.462 + 577 = 4.039 persons had died; For the 21st century, the number would be 5.250. This would not be correct because many countries do not have the same medical standards as Norway, they have fewer blood transfusions, and the number of Witnesses in many of these countries is much lower than in Europe, the USA, and Canada.
However, as seen in the statistics from the World health organization below, we see that the number of blood transfusions in countries outside Europe, the USA, and Canada is less than half the number in these countries. Because receiving blood components in many of the countries outside Europe, the USA, and Canada is less safe, with more deaths, I assume that the number of deaths among Jehovah’s Witnesses from refusing blood components is 50% of the number in Europe, the USA, and Canada, namely 1,731. This means that 1.731+577= 2.308 Witnesses in the whole world have died during the last 20 years, or 3.000 during the 21st century because of refusal of blood components.
THE CALCULATION BASED ON THE DATA FROM NORWAY AND THE WORLD POPULATION SHOWS THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE NUMBER OF DEATHS IN THE WORLD AMONG JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES FOR 20 YEARS WHO REFUSED BLOOD COMPONENTS WOULD BE 4.039; THE NUMBER FOR THE WHOLE 21ST CENTURY WOULD BE 5.250.
BUT BASED ON THE DIFFERENT NUMBERS OF BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS IN DIFFERENT GROUPS OF COUNTRIES, THE MORE LIKELY NUMBER OF DEATHS IS 2.308; THE NUMBER FOR THE WHOLE 21ST CENTURY WOULD BE 3.000.
A CALCULATION BASED ON THE NUMBER OF WITNESSES IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD
The average number of publishers in Norway during the 20 years from 1990 to 2000, were 12 000. To find the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses who refuse blood components, we must add the 20 % inactive Witnesses. The total number will be 14 400. Among these, 2 deaths occurred because of refusal of blood components.
The average number of publishers in the world during these 20 years was 7 million. When we add the 20% of inactive Witnesses, the total will be 8.4 million.
Two deaths among 14.400 in Norway is 0.00013889%. When we apply this percentage to the 8.4 million Witnesses worldwide, the number of deaths is 1.167. This means that during the 21st century, 1,517 Jehovah’s Witnesses have died because the refused blood components.
THE CALCULATION BASED ON THE DATA FROM NORWAY AND THE WORLD POPULATION OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES SHOWS THAT DURING DURING 20 YEARS, 1,517 WITNESSES MAY HAVE DIED BECAUSE THEY REFUSED BLOOD COMPONENTS; FOR THE 21ST CENTURY, THE NUMBER OF DEATHS WOULD BE 1.972.
The calculation that 1,972 Witnesses may have died during the 21st century because of refusing blood components, based on the latest calculation above, and that 3.000 Witnesses may have died, based on the first calculation, seem to be very low. As a member of the Hospital Liaison Committee in Oslo for 20 years, I have been present in 200+ situations with serious hemorrhage in connection with accidents or operations, and I have seen the use of all the volume expanders and other alternatives to blood and blood components. So, these numbers of deaths corroborate my experience.
| A report from the World Health organization dated June 12, 2026, give the following numbers of blood transfusions in the world:
Of the 120.4 million blood donations collected globally, 36% of these are collected in high-income countries, home to 15% of the world’s population. Based on samples of 1000 people, the blood donation rate is 28.9 donations in high-income countries, 18.2 donations in upper-middle-income countries, 8.5 donations in lower-middle-income countries and 4.5 donations in low-income countries.[1] The number of inhabitants of the mentioned group of countries are as follows: Low-income countries 798 million Lower-middle-income countries 2.950 million Lower-upper-income countries 3.080 million When we apply the numbers given of blood transfusions, we see that the number of blood transfusions in the countries outside Europe, the USA and Canada is less than one half of the transfusions in Europa, the USA, and Canada. |
[1]. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blood-safety-and-availability
