According to UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, more than 142 crore Aadhaar cards have been issued since 2010, but only 1.83 crore have been deactivated despite an estimated eight crore deaths among Aadhaar holders since 2016. “Death registration is still very casual in India,” Kumar said, adding that the Civil Registration System (CRS) data is available for only 25 states, with efforts underway to integrate the remaining regions.
UIDAI has so far received data on 1.55 crore deceased individuals from the Registrar General of India (RGI). Between November 2024 and September 2025, another 38 lakh names were added. The authority confirmed and deactivated 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers, with a target to cross 2 crore deactivations by December.
To simplify the process, UIDAI launched a death information portal four months ago, allowing family members to report a death online. However, response has been poor — only 3,000 registrations were made, of which just 500 cases were verified and deactivated.
Officials also flagged discrepancies during cross-verification. Around 48 lakh records remain unmatched, largely due to language inconsistencies. In some cases, 80 individuals declared dead were later found alive.
Banks and welfare systems have also reported irregularities. The SBI identified 8 lakh accounts of deceased persons, while PNB confirmed 4 lakh. The Public Distribution System found 4.5 lakh active ration cards belonging to the dead, and among two crore pensioners, 22 lakh deaths were verified.
UIDAI is also investigating over 8.3 lakh Aadhaar holders listed as above 100 years of age, indicating further gaps in identity verification and record updates.
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