Background. This study provides a summary of the 2008 ERA-EDTA Registry Report (this report is available at www.era-edta-reg.org).Methods. The data on renal replacement therapy (RRT) were available from 55 national and regional registries in 30 countries in Europe and bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Datasets with individual patient data were received from 36 registries, whereas 19 registries contributed data in aggregated form. We presented incidence and prevalence of RRT, and transplant rates. Survival analysis was solely based on individual patient records.Results. In 2008, the overall incidence rate of RRT for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among all registries reporting to the ERA-EDTA Registry was 122 per million population (pmp), and the prevalence was 644 pmp. Incidence rates varied from 264 pmp in Turkey to 15 pmp in Ukraine. The mean age of patients starting RRT in 2008 ranged from 69 years in Dutch-speaking Belgium to 44 years in Ukraine. The highest prevalence of RRT for ESRD was reported by Portugal (1408 pmp) and the lowest by Ukraine (89 pmp). The prevalence of haemodialysis on 31 December 2008 ranged from 66 pmp (Ukraine) to 875 pmp (Portugal) and the prevalence of peritoneal dialysis from 8 pmp (Montenegro) to 115 pmp (Denmark). In Norway, 70% of the patients on RRT on 31 December 2008 were living with a functioning graft (572 pmp). In 2008, the number of transplants performed pmp was highest in Spain (Catalonia) (64 pmp), whereas the highest transplant rates with living-donor kidneys were reported from the Netherlands (25 pmp) and Norway (21 pmp). In the cohort 1999-2003, the unadjusted 1-, 2- and 5-year survival of patients on RRT was 80.8% (95% CI: 80.6-81.0), 69.1% (95% CI: 68.9-69.3) and 46.1% (95% CI: 45.9-46.3), respectively.