Men in their 40s are the most likely to donate their organs, with the oldest Australian donor last year an 82 year-old.
New data released by Donate Life to mark Sunday's Thank You Day has shed some light on who Australia's donors are.
In 2016, the oldest man to give the gift of life was 82, and the oldest woman was 81.
The average age of a male donor is 43, while the average age of a female donor is 46.
Slightly more men than women donated an organ last year, 55 per cent compared to 45 per cent, respectively.
The youngest organ donor was younger than one.
So far this year, 1063 Australians received a life-saving transplant thanks to 381 donors and their families.
Donat Life's National Medical Director Dr Helen Opdam - also a senior intensive care specialist at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne - says it's important that we pay tribute to these donors and their families and thank them for the "inspiring" generosity showed during their grief.
"Many (donor) families say they are comforted to know that maybe they have spared another family from experiencing the loss that they are, that it was the one good thing out of what was otherwise an awful circumstance," said Dr Opdam.
"It's inspiring to be with such families and to hear them talk about how they reached that decision," Dr Opdam said.
As of January 2017, more than 1300 Australians were on an organ waiting list. About 1000 people were waiting for a kidney, 132 a liver, and 60 for a heart. More than 100 needed a lung and 60 a pancreas.
Dr Opdam hopes Thank You Day will also spark a conversation on organ donation among families.
"We know when people are registered (on the Australian Organ Donor Register) and their family know what their wishes are, we have a consent rate of 90 per cent," Dr Opdam said.
"When people die and their family don't know what they wanted then consent rate is 50 per cent, so it's a really important thing to do."
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