A large gap between the number of people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) who received kidney replacement therapy (KRT) and those who needed it has been recently identified, and it is estimated that approximately one-half to three-quarters of all people with ESKD in the world may have died prematurely because they could not receive KRT. This estimate is aligned with a previous report that estimated that >3 million people in the world died each year because they could not access KRT. This review discusses the reasons for the differences in treated and untreated ESKD and KRT modalities and outcomes and presents strategies to close the global KRT gap by establishing robust health information systems to guide resource allocation to areas of need, inform KRT service planning, enable policy development, and monitor KRT health outcomes

There is a huge gap between the number of patients worldwide requiring versus those actually receiving safe, sustainable, and equitable care for kidney failure. To address this, the International Society of Nephrology coordinated the development of a Strategic Plan for Integrated Care of Patients with Kidney Failure. Implementation of the plan will require engagement of the whole kidney community over the next 5–10 years.