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Find your registry · 250 countries and territories

How do I find my bone marrow registry?

The search for a donor can cross the world. Joining starts where you live.

Where you live decides which bone marrow (blood stem cell) donor registry you can join. As of , we’ve verified a way to join for people living in 79 of 250 countries and territories, and the Registry Atlas says what we found in each.

Type a country, territory or its local name. 250 places.

In the U.S.? NMDP, Gift of Life and DKMS US

World map, Equal Earth projection, of all 250 countries and territories. Each is shaded by how people who live there can join a donor registry: you can join here (59), join through a service that covers this place (16), joining is limited, paused or just starting (4), no verified way to join yet (124), still checking (40). Small places are drawn as markers, and the 7 places where no one lives year-round are drawn plain. The list has the same information.
  • You can join here59 places
  • Join through another service16 places
  • Limited, paused or starting4 places
  • No verified way yet124 places
  • Still checking40 places

7 places have no year-round residents. Jump to the list

Globe and map show where joining has been verified, not where donors are needed. As of .
Join through NMDPFor people who live in the United StatesLive somewhere else?
How joining worksFive steps, from joining to donatingBrowse all 250 places, A to Z

How one donor search crosses the world

  1. One baby

    Jada Bascom was one month old when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Five rounds of chemotherapy followed, and hundreds of blood transfusions. No one in her family was a match.

    Spring 2007

    Jada, one month old

    The search for a stranger began.

  2. One stranger

    Five thousand miles away in Germany, Torsten Huber had joined a donor registry at a donor drive in April 2006. In 2007 the search for Jada’s donor found him. She had her transplant at seven months old. Today she is a healthy young woman.

    “Of course I registered to help somebody. I’m really glad that I could help Jada.”

    — Torsten Huber, Jada’s donor

    Jada and Torsten’s story

    World map, Equal Earth projection, with one gold line drawn from Germany to Spokane, Washington, labeled “Donor in Germany, Jada in Spokane, 2007”.

    Donor in Germany, Jada in Spokane, 2007

  3. One shared list

    Torsten could be found because registries share their lists. Organizations in 56 countries and territories list their volunteers in one international search, run by the World Marrow Donor Association. On October 14, 2026, it held more than 43 million adult donor records.

    Separately, it listed about 725,000 units of donated umbilical cord blood.

    The 56 places
    • Argentina
    • Armenia
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Belgium
    • Brazil
    • Bulgaria
    • Canada
    • Chile
    • China
    • Croatia
    • Cyprus
    • Czechia
    • Denmark
    • Finland
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hong Kong
    • Hungary
    • India
    • Iran
    • Ireland
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Kazakhstan
    • Lithuania
    • Luxembourg
    • Mexico
    • Netherlands
    • New Zealand
    • North Macedonia
    • Norway
    • Paraguay
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Romania
    • Russia
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Serbia
    • Singapore
    • Slovakia
    • Slovenia
    • South Africa
    • South Korea
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Türkiye
    • Ukraine
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • Uruguay
    World map, Equal Earth projection. The 56 countries and territories whose organizations list adult donor records in the World Marrow Donor Association’s shared search are outlined in warm white. Every other place is drawn plain. It shows that the list is shared, not which country has more.

    43,447,961adult donor records

    56countries and territories whose organizations list them

    724,882cord blood units, counted separately

    Source: World Marrow Donor Association, Search & Match statistics, read October 14, 2026. These are records listed for searching, not a count of people available to donate.

  4. Where you live

    You can’t join from just anywhere. Registries usually enroll people who live in the places they serve, and the world is uneven. In 59 of 250 countries and territories, we’ve verified a registry that people who live there can join. In 16, people join through a service that covers them, and in 4, joining is limited, paused or just starting.

    Where we haven’t verified a way to join, we say so. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one, and we keep checking.

    World map, Equal Earth projection, of all 250 countries and territories. Each is shaded by how people who live there can join a donor registry: you can join here (59), join through a service that covers this place (16), joining is limited, paused or just starting (4), no verified way to join yet (124), still checking (40). Small places are drawn as markers, and the 7 places where no one lives year-round are drawn plain. The list has the same information.
    • You can join here59 places
    • Join through a service that covers this place16 places
    • Joining is limited, paused or just starting4 places
    • No verified way to join yet124 places
    • Still checking40 places
    • No one lives here year-round7 places

    Globe and map show where joining has been verified, not where donors are needed. Checked October 11, 2026.

One square for every place

We’ve verified a way to join for people living in 79 of 250 countries and territories.

Of the 79, 59 have a registry at home, 16 join through a service based elsewhere, and in 4 joining is limited, paused or just starting. Each square is a country or territory, grouped by region and never ranked: one place, one square, whatever its population. A dash is a place where no one lives year-round.

The numbers behind this chart are in a table under “Show as table”.

Africa 60 places · 3 with a verified way to join

Americas 57 places · 16 with a verified way to join

Asia 51 places · 18 with a verified way to join

Europe 52 places · 34 with a verified way to join

Oceania 29 places · 8 with a verified way to join

Antarctica 1 place

  • You can join here59
  • Join through a service that covers this place16
  • Joining is limited, paused or just starting4
  • No verified way to join yet124
  • Still checking40
  • No one lives here year-round7

Source: Jada Bascom Foundation, registry research. Each place is dated in the list. Checked .

Show as table
Places by region and by how people who live there can join
RegionYou can join hereJoin through a service that covers this placeJoining is limited, paused or just startingNo verified way to join yetStill checkingNo one lives here year-roundAll places
Africa2103916260
Americas1033336257
Asia1611294051
Europe2950117052
Oceania260127229
Antarctica0000011
All regions59164124407250
Download PNG for “We’ve verified a way to join for people living in 79 of 250 countries and territories.”Download data (CSV) for “We’ve verified a way to join for people living in 79 of 250 countries and territories.”
How to cite

Jada Bascom Foundation, “We’ve verified a way to join for people living in 79 of 250 countries and territories,” The Registry Atlas, checked October 11, 2026, https://jadabascomfoundation.org/how-do-i-find-my-bone-marrow-registry#every-place. Data: Jada Bascom Foundation, registry research.

Please credit Jada Bascom Foundation for the figures too.

02Find your place

Every country and territory

Each place says what we found about joining there and when we checked. Open one for how joining works, or what you can do today.

  • No one lives here year-roundNo year-round residents7 places

250 places, A to Z

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03 What joining involves

Five steps, from joining to donating

  1. Check you can join

    Each registry sets its own age range and health rules. Your country’s page links to them.

  2. Give a sample

    At many registries it’s a cheek swab you can do at home, while others take a sample at a donor drive or when you give blood.

  3. You’re on the list

    The registry records your tissue type so searches can find you.

  4. If you match a patient

    The registry contacts you, checks you’re still willing and well, and arranges more tests.

  5. Donation

    Most donors give stem cells collected from the blood: four or five days of daily injections first, then several hours connected to a machine that collects the cells. Some give marrow from the back of the hip under general anesthesia. Both have side effects, and the registry explains which is needed and supports you through it.

Joining doesn’t mean you’ll be asked to donate. It means you can be found.

How we check

For each place we read the registry’s own pages, national charity and company records, government health sources and the World Marrow Donor Association’s directory, in local languages where we can. We record the date we checked. When sources disagree, we say so. When we can’t verify a way to join, we say that too, and keep looking.

Registry data and methodsIf you know something we’ve missed, tell us.

Checked before it was published

Sources

  1. World Marrow Donor Association, Search & Match statistics

    Adult donor records and cord blood units listed for searching, and the countries and territories whose organizations list them.

    Checked

  2. DKMS, Frequently asked questions

    How DKMS uses a cheek swab to join, typing and listing, being contacted if you match, and the two ways to donate, with five days of injections before a blood stem cell donation.

    Checked

  3. Stem Cell Donors Australia, The donation process

    What happens after you join and if you match a patient.

    Checked

  4. Stem Cell Donors Australia, Donation methods

    Blood stem cell and marrow donation, the days of injections first, and how long a collection takes.

    Checked

  5. NMDP, Join the donor registry

    NMDP’s own page on who can join in the U.S., and how, for the questions below.

    Checked

  6. World Marrow Donor Association, About WMDA

    How registries share one international search across borders.

    Checked

  7. World Marrow Donor Association, Find your registry

    The world list of registries that each place’s page points to.

    Checked

  8. Jada Bascom Foundation, About Jada and Torsten

    Jada’s diagnosis and transplant, and Torsten’s own account of joining.

    Checked

Written and source-checked by the Jada Bascom Foundation.

Questions about finding your registry

Which registry can I join?

Usually the one that serves the country or territory where you live, because many registries sign up only people who live there. Where more than one registry serves a place, its page lists each one and who it’s for.

Which registry should I join?

Can I join a registry in another country?

Usually not: many registries sign up only people who live in their own country, though a few also take their citizens who live abroad.

Who registries sign up, from their own pages

What if there’s no registry where I live?

Your place’s page says what we searched and when, and what you can do today. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

What if there’s no donor registry where you live?

Is joining the registry the same as giving blood?

No. Giving blood doesn’t put you on a stem cell donor registry by itself, though in some countries you can join on the same visit.

Giving blood and joining a registry

How do I join the bone marrow registry?

Use the official entry point for where you live and follow that registry’s instructions. The registry confirms eligibility, explains whether enrollment uses a mailed cheek swab or an in-person process, arranges HLA typing, and maintains your profile. Processes and costs vary; many registries use cheek swabs, while some enroll in person.

Is there a cost to join the registry?

Enrollment and cost policies vary by registry and country. For eligible U.S. residents, NMDP currently provides and processes a free mailed cheek-swab kit. Check the official registry for where you live for its current process and any fees.

Do I need to choose a registry, or will you pick for me?

Registries usually enroll people who live in the places they serve, so where you live decides. Where more than one registry serves a place, its page lists each option and who it is for. If your connection appears to be in a place where we’ve verified a registry, a button under the search names it and says who it is for. Your connection isn’t always where you live, so check that before you go ahead.

Is the Jada Bascom Foundation a registry?

No. JBF is not a registry. We keep this guide to help people reach official registries; using a JBF link does not change the registry’s eligibility or cost rules. The registry owns enrollment, donor records, HLA typing and donation coordination.

How long does the registration process take?

Timing varies by registry and enrollment method. Some start with an online form and a mailed swab; others use an in-person process. Your registry will explain when your enrollment and tissue typing are complete.

What happens after I join?

The registry lists your tissue type so transplant teams can search it. It contacts you only if you may match a patient; then there are more health checks, and you give consent again before any donation. Keep your contact and health details current with that registry so it can reach you.

Do I have to donate if I’m matched?

No. You can decline at any point. The registry asks for renewed consent before any actual donation, and you can also withdraw from the registry entirely at any time. Registration creates an opportunity to help; it does not create an obligation.

What if I move to another country after registering?

If your registry lists its donors in the World Marrow Donor Association’s international search, you can be matched with patients in other countries. If you move, contact your registry to update your details, and ask whether you should stay on its list or join the registry where you now live.

Is there an age limit to join the registry?

Yes, but the range varies. NMDP currently recruits eligible U.S. residents ages 18–35. Other registries set their own minimum and maximum ages, so check the current rule with the official registry for where you live.

Learn more before you join

Answers to the questions people ask most before they sign up.

How we check each place

Be someone’s Torsten

Your record could reach a patient on the other side of the world.

That’s how Torsten’s reached Jada. Find the registry that serves the place you live.

Find my registry
Download the card

Download the map
The flyer: STOP BLOOD CANCER set in tall letters over a dark plum page, a quote, and a QR code beside a text-to-join line for the U.S.One standing face of the table tent: the same headline and quote on the left, a large QR code on the right.

Take it off the screen

Print it. Put it where people already stand.

A coffee counter, a church foyer, a break room, a race table. Every sheet carries the code that opens Jeana’s walk, and a number to text for anyone who would rather not scan — no app, no wifi, nothing to hand back.Every sheet carries the code that opens Jeana’s walk — nothing to install, nothing to hand back. The number to text printed beside it is for joining NMDP, which registers people who live in the U.S., its territories and the freely associated states. If you live anywhere else, find your country’s registry.

Everything else for running a drive

Rather be the one at the table?

Host a registration drive at your school, work or place of worship, raise funds, or lend a skill. Tell us what you have in mind and we will help you plan it.

Ways to volunteerHost a registration drive