The Value of the Human Body. A Look at Body Part Prices.

1. Legal Donation and Medical Value

In many countries, including the USA, body parts are not sold for profit, but the cost of medical procedures involving them can reflect their value. For example, when someone donates a kidney, they do not receive payment, but the transplant surgery can cost $250,000–$400,000 in the U.S. This includes the hospital stay, surgeon fees, medications, and post-operation care.

Kidney: There are two kidneys in the body, and a healthy person can live with one. In black markets, a kidney may fetch $50,000 to $100,000, but legally the procedure may cost hundreds of thousands due to the transplant.

Liver: The liver can regenerate, so a portion can be transplanted. Transplants can cost $500,000–$800,000 in medical procedures.

Heart: A human heart cannot be donated from a living person. The cost of heart transplants is around $1.4 million in the U.S., which includes care, medications, and surgery.

Lungs: Lung transplants (single or double) can range between $800,000 to $1.3 million.

Pancreas: Often transplanted with a kidney, costs around $250,000 to $400,000.

Corneas: The only tissue that is regularly transplanted without much rejection. A cornea transplant can cost $20,000 to $30,000.

2. Black Market and Illegal Trade

Though illegal and unethical, the black market puts a price tag on human organs and tissues. These operations are highly dangerous, exploit poor populations, and often involve unsafe medical practices. Here are some black market estimates:

Kidney: $50,000–$100,000 for the buyer; the seller often receives only $5,000–$10,000.

Liver (partial): Up to $150,000 for the buyer.

Heart: Rare on black markets, may be worth over $500,000.

Lung: $150,000–$300,000 depending on demand and source.

Cornea: $20,000.

Bone marrow: Highly valuable in legal medicine, especially for treating leukemia; worth $20,000–$23,000 per extraction, though it is donated in most systems.

Blood: A pint of blood may sell for $300–$400 in hospitals. Plasma, which is often donated in the U.S., can earn donors $50–$100 per session.

3. Full Human Body Value (For Science or Study)

When a human body is donated to science or medical schools, it’s used for study, training, or research. If broken down and used for scientific research, tissue by tissue, the entire human body can be worth up to $500,000 to $1 million, depending on how it is used. Parts such as bones, tendons, and skin can be sold for thousands each.

4. Ethical and Religious View

Almost all religions, including Islam and Christianity, stress that human life is sacred. Selling body parts is forbidden in most religious teachings. Instead, organ donation is encouraged to save lives, but not for profit. International laws like the World Health Organization's guidelines prohibit the sale of organs and encourage ethical donation systems.

Conclusion

While there are prices tied to body parts in medical procedures and the dark web, human life itself is priceless. It's crucial to understand that buying or selling organs is illegal and unethical in most parts of the world. Instead, supporting legal organ donation systems saves lives without reducing people to the sum of their parts.

The human body is priceless, and no ethical system puts a real price on its parts. In most countries, selling organs is illegal; lifesaving transplants rely on voluntary donation, complex surgeries, and lifelong care. Medical costs can be high because of hospitals, specialists, and medicines—not because a body part is for sale. Black markets exploit vulnerable people and endanger lives, so they must be rejected. Instead, we should promote lawful donation, transparency, and compassion to save patients safely and fairly. Above all, the body’s design and resilience remind us of sacred dignity and mercy. We give thanks to God always.