What do the figures say?
As of June 2025, India has 142.39 crore registered Aadhaar holders, while according to the United Nations Population Fund, the country’s total population in April 2025 was 146.39 crore. According to the Civil Registration System (CRS) data, an average of 83.5 lakh deaths were registered annually in India between 2007 and 2019. Based on this, approximately 11.69 crore people died in 14 years, but UIDAI deactivated only 1.15 crore Aadhaar numbers. This is merely 10% of the total estimated deaths.
Why the delay?
UIDAI stated in the RTI that the process of deactivating Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals is complex and depends on death records received from the Registrar General of India (RGI). According to UIDAI, “When RGI shares death records and Aadhaar number information, UIDAI deactivates the Aadhaar numbers of deceased Aadhaar holders after due process.” However, in 2022, UIDAI requested death records from RGI, receiving approximately 1.55 crore death records from 24 states and union territories, of which 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers were deactivated.
New Guidelines
To reduce this gap, UIDAI issued revised deactivation guidelines in August 2023. Under these guidelines, death records are verified against Aadhaar data based on at least 90% name match and 100% gender match. Furthermore, UIDAI recently launched a new feature called “Reporting the death of a family member,” allowing people to voluntarily update death information. Additionally, UIDAI is developing the technical infrastructure for API-based integration to enable real-time sharing of death records.
Over 100% Aadhaar Saturation in Bihar
The impact of this data discrepancy is evident in states like Bihar. During the recent Special Summary Revision (SSR), Aadhaar saturation exceeding 100% was recorded in several districts of Bihar’s Seemanchal region—Kishanganj (126%), Katihar and Araria (123%), Purnia (121%), and Sheikhpura (118%). A major reason for this is the non-deactivation of Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals, inflating local population figures.
What is the risk?
The continued activation of Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals can increase risks such as identity theft, fraud in government schemes, and registration of fake voters. Experts believe that the lack of coordination between the Aadhaar database and death registration is the root cause of this problem.
Questioning Reliability
UIDAI says it is developing technological solutions to address this issue. However, experts suggest that the death registration process needs to be further strengthened and the Aadhaar database needs to be regularly updated. This revelation has not only raised questions about the reliability of Aadhaar but has also intensified the demand for immediate action from the government in this direction.
