The majority of transplanted organs in China come from executed prisoners, state media reported Wednesday in Beijing.

The China Daily said more than 65 per cent of organ donations come from death row, citing unnamed "experts." China puts to death more people than any other country.

However, human rights groups estimate at least 90 per cent of transplanted organs come from executed prisoners.

The country's Health Ministry and the Red Cross Society of China this week launched a national organ donation system to reduce the reliance on death row inmates and encourage donations from the public, the China Daily newspaper reported.

Condemned prisoners are "definitely not a proper source for organ transplants," the report quoted deputy health minister Huang Jiefu as saying.

He has publicly acknowledged that most transplant organs are taken from executed prisoners but only with prior consent.

Foreign medical and human rights groups have long criticized China's organ transplant trade as being opaque, profit-driven and unethical. Critics say death row prisoners might feel compelled to become donors.

Voluntary donations in China remain far below demand, partly because of cultural bias against organ removal before burial. About 1.5 million people in China need transplants, but only around 10,000 operations are performed annually, Chinese health officials say.