Alarming mismatch between death data, Aadhaar deactivation
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated just 1.15 crore Aadhaar numbers, a figure that falls dramatically short when compared to the country's mortality rates.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated just 1.15 crore Aadhaar numbers since the programme's inception 14 years ago, a figure that falls dramatically short when compared to the country's mortality rates. This was revealed in a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by India Today TV.
As of June 2025, India has 142.39 crore Aadhaar holders. According to the United Nations Population Fund, the country's total population stood at 146.39 crore in April 2025. In contrast, official data from the Civil Registration System (CRS) shows that India recorded an average of 83.5 lakh deaths every year between 2007 and 2019.
Despite this, UIDAI's deactivation numbers remain staggeringly low — less than 10 percent of total estimated deaths have led to Aadhaar numbers being cancelled. Officials admitted the process of deactivation is cumbersome and largely dependent on external data such as death certificates issued by state governments and updates from family members.
The UIDAI was set up in 2009 and issued its first Aadhaar number on September 29, 2010. Yet, the authorities have no data on Aadhaar exclusions. When asked if it maintains any estimate of people who do not possess an Aadhaar, the UIDAI responded: "No such information is available".
To address the gap, revised guidelines were issued in August 2023 through an official memorandum, detailing the mechanism for deactivation based on death records from the Civil Registration System. Under these norms, death records are first matched against the Aadhaar database. For an Aadhaar number to be marked for deactivation, there must be a name match accuracy of at least 90 percent and a 100 percent gender match.
If both conditions are met, UIDAI performs final checks to ensure the Aadhaar number was not used for biometric authentication or any update after the recorded date of death. If no post-death activity is detected, the number is deactivated.
However, if there is any activity, further verification is done. If a deactivated Aadhaar number is later used for authentication, the system alerts the individual and asks them to visit an Aadhaar centre or UIDAI Regional Office for biometric verification to request reactivation.
Despite these steps, UIDAI does not track deactivations year-wise. Asked for annual data for the last five years, UIDAI said, "No such information is maintained year-wise. However, the total number of Aadhaar numbers deactivated on the basis of death report data received from RGI, since the inception of the Aadhaar programme till 31.12.2024, is 1,14,69,869.
The mismatch between India’s death data and Aadhaar deactivations has wider implications, particularly highlighted by recent reports from Bihar during the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls. In several districts of Bihar’s Seemanchal region, Aadhaar saturation rates have crossed 100 percent.
Aadhaar saturation reflects the percentage of a region’s projected population that holds Aadhaar numbers. A figure above 100% indicates possible data duplication, inaccuracies in population estimates, migration, or the failure to remove deceased individuals from the database.
The UIDAI's RTI response clarified why this happens: when Aadhaar numbers of the deceased are not promptly deactivated, they continue to inflate local saturation figures, sometimes resulting in more Aadhaar holders than actual residents.
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