New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated just 1.15 crore Aadhaar numbers since the programme’s inception 14 years ago, raising doubts as the figure falls dramatically short when compared to the country’s mortality rates, reported India Today in an exclusive report based on its RTI findings.
As of June 2025, India has 142.39 crore Aadhaar holders. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNDP), India’s total population stood at 146.39 crore in April 2025, the report states. However, the report also claims that the 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. But UIDAI’s deactivation numbers remain staggeringly low.
The process of deactivation is cumbersome, officials said, as claimed by India Today. The deactivation process is largely dependent on other document data like death certificates issued by the state governments and updates from family members.
The UIDAI has also reportedly confirmed the news channel that it does not maintain any dedicated data on exclusions. Neither it has the number of Aadhaar holders, who may have died but their cards being still active. This gap has raised concerns about the misuse of active Aadhaar numbers. This loophole may impact government schemes, subsidies, and other identity-linked services in the country.