Aadhaar Cards of the Dead: Report says there is a gap in cancelling Aadhaar of people who die. The Unique Identification Authority of India has cancelled only 1.15 crore Aadhaar numbers in the country in the last 14 years, according to figures. However, reports received under the Right to Information Act show that crores of people have died during the same period. As of June 2025, there were 142.39 crore Aadhaar holders in India. Meanwhile, according to the UN Population Fund, the total population of the country was 146.39 crore in April 2025.

Where Are the Aadhaar Cards of the Dead?

83.5 lakh deaths per year; Aadhaar deactivation is low According to official data from the Civil Registration System, an average of 83.5 lakh deaths were recorded annually in India between 2007 and 2019. It is noteworthy that despite such a high number of deaths, the number of people whose Aadhaar was deactivated is very low. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) replied to a query under the Right to Information Act that the process of deactivation of Aadhaar of deceased persons is entirely dependent on the death certificates received from the Registrar General of India.

New guidelines for deactivation of Aadhaar New guidelines were issued in August 2023 through an official memorandum for deactivation of Aadhaar of deceased persons. According to this, there should be at least 90% match in name and 100% match in gender. However, the Unique Identification Authority of India admitted that they do not keep year-wise data related to the discontinuation of Aadhaar. When asked for data for the last five years, the reply was, ‘Such data is not kept year-wise’.

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