TORONTO - A new study finds that the gap between supply and demand for donated kidneys for transplant is widening in Canada.

The report, released Tuesday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, shows there's been a significant increase in the number of kidney transplants over the past decade.

But there's been a decline in the number of these transplants relative to the number of kidney failure patients, with six transplants per 100 patient years of dialysis in 2008, compared to eight transplants per 100 patient years of dialysis in 1999.

Jean-Marie Berthelot, vice-president of programs at the institute, says the rise in demand is partly due to an increase in diabetes-related kidney failure cases in Canada -- the number of new patients with end-stage renal disease associated with diabetes nearly doubled from about 1,000 in 1996 to nearly 1,900 in 2008.

The report didn't just look at kidney transplants, but other organs as well, and found that 1,038 Canadians donated organs in 2008, up from 812 in 1999.

Last year, about 215 Canadians died while waiting for an organ transplant.

"The need for transplantable organs has never been greater," Dr. John Gill, of the University of British Columbia and St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, said in a statement.

"The option of organ and tissue donation should be offered to all patients who die in Canadian hospitals and should be incorporated as an essential component of end-of-life care."

Living donors account for 69 per cent of the increase in donors over the past decade, but they can only donate one kidney or part of a liver or lung. The report said living donors are most likely to be relatives -- often siblings -- or family friends.

A deceased donor can provide up to six organs for transplantation. On average, 3.6 organs per deceased donor were transplanted in 2008, according to the study, which is entitled Organ Donor Activity in Canada, 1999 to 2008.

"In 2008, there were 492 deceased donors, which is surprisingly low given the number of eligible deaths that occur in Canada annually and falls well behind international standards," Dr. Sam Shemie, medical director of organ transplants at Canadian Blood Services, said in a release.