Which bone marrow registry should you join?
The fastest answer: join the registry closest to where you live — they all share matches globally through the World Marrow Donor Association. Here is a real comparison of NMDP, DKMS, Gift of Life, Anthony Nolan, and others.
Free • Takes about 5 minutes • Auto-detects your country • One click to the right registry
The short answer: join the one closest to you
All major registries share matches globally. Through the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA), every donor on a participating national registry is searchable by transplant centers worldwide. So no matter which national registry you join, your match could go to a patient on the other side of the planet.
Join the registry in your country. In the US that is NMDP or Gift of Life. In the UK it is Anthony Nolan or DKMS UK. In Germany it is DKMS. For India and several other countries, see the international section below. JBF’s registry button automatically routes you to the right registry for your detected country.
Why this matters: the registry in your country handles your sample, your follow-up, and your travel logistics if you are matched. Registering locally keeps everything simpler.
Free • Takes about 5 minutes • Auto-detects your country • One click to the right registry
US registries
NMDP
formerly Be The Match
- Founded:
- 1986
- Size:
- the largest registry in the United States, with more than 9 million registered donors
- Coverage:
- runs the federal C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program under HRSA contract
- Who it’s for:
- most US donors
Gift of Life
- Founded:
- 1991
- Size:
- more than 470,000 registered donors (as of 2025)
- Coverage:
- began with a focus on Jewish and Hispanic communities; recruits broadly today
- Who it’s for:
- anyone wanting an alternative to NMDP, including within historically underserved communities
International registries
DKMS
Germany, US, UK, and more
- Founded:
- 1991, in Germany
- Size:
- more than 12.5 million registered donors (as of the end of 2024) — the largest single registry organization in the world
- Coverage:
- Germany (largest), plus the US, UK, Chile, India, Poland, and South Africa
- Who it’s for:
- residents of any DKMS-served country
Anthony Nolan
United Kingdom
- Founded:
- 1974 — the oldest bone marrow register in the world
- Size:
- more than 900,000 UK donors (as of March 2024)
- Coverage:
- the United Kingdom, primarily
- Who it’s for:
- UK residents
Other countries
- Canada: Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry — blood.ca
- Australia: Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry — stemcelldonors.org.au
- India: DATRI — datri.org
- Israel: Ezer Mizion — ezermizion.org
- Brazil: REDOME (Ministry of Health) — redome.inca.gov.br
You do not need to work out which of these applies to you. JBF’s registry button detects your country and routes you to the right one.
How registries share matches globally
The World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) coordinates national registries across more than 50 countries, together representing more than 40 million potential donors and hundreds of thousands of cord blood units (as of 2025).
When a transplant center searches for a match, it searches this shared database, which includes everyone registered on a participating national registry. The search does not stop at borders.
That is why joining any major national registry effectively adds you to the global pool. Your match could be a patient in your own city or one in a country you have never visited.
How to choose your registry
- Where do you live? That determines which national registry to join. It is the single most important factor.
- Register through a drive or online? Most registries offer both. Drives are common at universities, community events, and patient advocacy events.
- Do you have a community affiliation that matters to you? Some registries, such as Gift of Life in the US, run community-specific recruitment efforts you may want to support.
- Are you eligible to join? Each registry sets its own age and health criteria, which vary slightly by country. If you are unsure whether you qualify, the eligibility overview linked below walks through the general criteria before you sign up.
For nearly everyone the simplest path is the same: use the registry button below. JBF’s system detects your country and routes you to the appropriate registry’s signup page. It is free and takes about five minutes.
What happens after you register is the same across registries. Your cheek swab is HLA typed and your details are added to the searchable pool, where transplant centers can find you if you are a potential match for a patient. Most people are never contacted; a smaller number are asked for confirmatory testing, and fewer still go on to donate. Until then, there is nothing further you need to do beyond keeping your contact details current with your registry.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to join?
- First time considering this? Start here: How to find your bone marrow registry
- Want to understand HLA matching first? What is HLA matching?
- Not sure if you’re eligible? Can I donate bone marrow?
Whichever national registry serves your country, you join the same global search. The button below detects where you are and sends you to the right place to register, free, in about five minutes.
Free • Takes about 5 minutes • Auto-detects your country • One click to the right registry