New Delhi: In a startling revelation, an RTI response has exposed a glaring mismatch between India’s official death records and the number of Aadhaar deactivations. Despite crores of people having died since Aadhaar’s inception in 2009, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated just 1.14 crore Aadhaar numbers over the past 14 years, raising serious concerns over the system’s efficiency in updating life status records.
The information, accessed by India Today TV through a Right to Information (RTI) query, sheds light on a critical gap in India’s identity management system.
Aadhaar Numbers Still Active After Deaths
As of June 2025, UIDAI’s database shows 142.39 crore Aadhaar holders. Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) pegged India’s total population at 146.39 crore in April 2025, indicating that Aadhaar coverage remains widespread and near-universal.
But the RTI reveals a disturbing reality: India recorded an average of 83.5 lakh deaths annually between 2007 and 2019, according to official data from the Civil Registration System (CRS). That adds up to over 10 crore deaths in this timeframe alone, yet Aadhaar deactivations based on death reports stand at just 1.15 crore since the programme’s launch.
Why the Huge Discrepancy? UIDAI Points to RGI
Responding to the RTI, UIDAI clarified that the **deactivation of Aadhaar numbers for deceased individuals is entirely dependent on death data received from the Registrar General of India (RGI).
“As and when RGI shares death records information along with Aadhaar numbers to UIDAI, we take due process to deactivate the Aadhaar number of the deceased holder,” the authority stated.
The statement essentially points to a bureaucratic bottleneck — unless Aadhaar-linked death records are shared by RGI, UIDAI cannot act to deactivate the corresponding numbers.
New Guidelines Introduced, But Data Gaps Remain
In August 2023, new official guidelines were introduced to streamline Aadhaar deactivation. As per the memorandum, UIDAI now requires:
- 90% or higher matching of names
- 100% matching of gender
While these rules aim to reduce errors in deactivating active users mistakenly, they may also be contributing to delays or rejection of genuine death record matches, especially in cases of spelling variations or documentation errors.
More surprisingly, when asked for year-wise Aadhaar deactivation data, UIDAI admitted, “No such information is maintained year-wise.”
This lack of granular tracking raises questions over accountability and transparency, especially in a system that’s deeply embedded in services ranging from banking to government welfare.
Why It Matters: Ghost Records and Policy Gaps
Aadhaar is central to India’s digital identity infrastructure. It’s linked to bank accounts, pensions, LPG subsidies, voter IDs, and healthcare schemes. When Aadhaar numbers of deceased persons are not deactivated promptly:
- Fraudulent claims and misuse of benefits become possible
- Inflated beneficiary numbers can result in misallocation of government funds
- Families may unknowingly violate rules by keeping inactive records alive
In a system touted as secure and precise, such data mismatches undermine credibility and trust.
Is the System Equipped to Handle Real-Time Updates?
Experts argue that the current mechanism for Aadhaar deactivation lacks real-time synchronization between civil registration departments and UIDAI. There is also no compulsion for family members to report deaths along with Aadhaar numbers, leading to unreported cases.
“Unless there’s a legal mandate requiring death certificates to include Aadhaar numbers and a system of automatic cross-verification, these gaps will persist,” said a digital governance analyst on condition of anonymity.
Moving Forward: The Need for a Unified Identity-Death Registry
The RTI data highlights a pressing need for a centralized and real-time integrated system where deaths registered under CRS are automatically mapped with Aadhaar, ensuring prompt deactivation.
Such an initiative would not only curb identity misuse but also enhance welfare delivery mechanisms, making them more efficient and less prone to fraud.
An Identity After Death?
Aadhaar was envisioned as a revolutionary identity system—unique, secure, and transparent. Yet, as the RTI reveals, even death doesn’t always remove a person from its database. Over 90% of deceased individuals since 2009 may still have active Aadhaar records, which could have serious ramifications.
As India continues to digitize its governance framework, the hope is that death data will soon be treated with the same urgency and accuracy as birth records, ensuring that Aadhaar remains a trustworthy tool—not just in life, but also after it.
