Some 5,000 people are expected to donate organs in China this year, almost double the figure in 2015.

The number of people willing to donate after their death has steadily increased in recent years, the China Organ Transplantation Development Foundation said on Thursday.

China recorded 2,766 donors in 2015 and 4,080 in 2016, the foundation said, adding that as of July 16, 293,000 people had registered as organ donors and 34,500 organs had been donated.

This year, more than 15,000 organ transplants are expected to be carried out nationwide.

The government made voluntary donations the only legal source of organs in January 2015 when it placed a ban using organs from executed prisoners.

Despite there being more organ donors, large gaps still remain between supply and demand, as transplant surgeries are usually the only option for patients with terminal diseases.

More than 40,000 people in China are waiting for a transplant, but only about 16,000 can actually have the surgery, according to Huang Jiefu, president of the foundation.