Millions Dead, Aadhaar Still Active: RTI Reveals Just 1.15 Crore Cards Deactivated in 14 Years

New Delhi, July 16: An RTI query filed by India Today TV has unearthed a significant discrepancy in the Aadhaar database: despite millions of deaths across India over the past 14 years, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated only 1.15 crore Aadhaar numbers since the programme’s inception in 2010.

As of June 2025, India has 142.39 crore active Aadhaar holders, while the country’s population stood at 146.39 crore as per the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report from April 2025. This data implies that Aadhaar numbers belonging to a large number of deceased individuals remain active in the system.

Official figures from the Civil Registration System (CRS) show that India reported an average of 83.5 lakh deaths annually between 2007 and 2019. Yet, the total Aadhaar deactivations over 14 years account for less than 10% of the estimated total deaths in that period, sparking serious concerns about systemic inefficiencies and potential misuse.

UIDAI officials have acknowledged that the deactivation process is cumbersome, primarily dependent on external data such as death certificates issued by state governments and notifications from family members. This fragmented approach has left Aadhaar vulnerable to misuse — especially in the case of identity-linked services such as government subsidies, pensions, and welfare schemes.

Further compounding the issue, UIDAI has confirmed that it does not maintain dedicated records of deceased Aadhaar holders, nor does it track how many Aadhaar numbers remain active posthumously.

Data security and public policy experts have voiced alarm at the scale of the gap, citing risks of identity fraud, duplication, and leakages in welfare delivery. They have urged the government to urgently integrate civil death registries with the Aadhaar database to automate the deactivation process and ensure better accuracy.

"The current system allows for misuse of the deceased’s identity, potentially leading to fraudulent claims or leakage in public welfare funds," said one data governance expert.

As Aadhaar remains central to India’s digital governance and service delivery infrastructure, the revelations raise critical questions about oversight and the need for structural reforms in the management of identity data.