Millions dead, Aadhaar still active: RTI finds only 1.15 crore cards deactivated

An Right to Information (RTI) application filed by India Today TV has revealed that 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.

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 per cent 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 has also confirmed that it does not maintain any dedicated data on exclusions or the number of Aadhaar holders who may have died but whose cards are still active in the system. This gap has raised concerns about the misuse of active Aadhaar numbers long after an individual's death, a loophole that can impact government schemes, subsidies, and other identity-linked services.

Experts also argue that the mismatch highlighted the urgent need for better integration between civil death registries and the Aadhaar database to prevent duplication, identity fraud, and leakages in welfare delivery.

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