Fewer and fewer people donate blood – and young men are the worst in the class.
Figures from the National Board of Health and Welfare show that 1.3 percent of men between 18 and 24 years old donated blood during the past year. To compare with 2.8 percent seen over the entire population between 18 and 64 years.
It is stated as an explanation that young men more often lack motivation, are afraid of needles or believe that it is not needed.
At the same time, the figures vary greatly between the regions. Västerbotten has the highest proportion of active blood donors (4.3 percent) while Skåne and Stockholm are at the bottom with 2.5 and 2.2 percent respectively.
According to the National Board of Health and Welfare, Sweden needs to double the proportion of blood donors to five percent of the population to meet the needs of healthcare and strengthen the community's preparedness in the event of a crisis, accidents or war.
