Barriers to voluntary blood donation in LMICs: a state of play

June 14 is World Blood Donor Day: an event to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products globally. A 2019 modelling study on global blood need found that every country in central, eastern, and western sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and south Asia had insufficient blood to meet their needs. Some would be defined as blood deserts: an area where blood components cannot be accessed in a safe or timely way in at least 75% of cases where a transfusion is needed. On this World Blood Donor Day, it is essential to highlight the barriers to voluntary blood donation and initiatives to tackle blood deserts.