As Digital ID adoption across the Asia-Pacific continues to grow, access and usage remain different between countries.
According to the World Bank, an estimated 2.8 billion people globally still do not have access to government-recognized digital ID systems. Around 800 million people also remain without legal identity, while 450 million children have never had their births registered.
The report shows that having a digital ID system does not always mean that people are actively using it. Each country has different approaches in expanding their digital identity systems to improve access to government, financial, and other services.
World Bank Emphasizes Gap in Digital ID Access
World Bank’s ID4D Global Dataset 2025 report states that many countries have already developed government-recognized digital ID systems, but billions of people remain outside these systems.
The report also shows differences between men and women in digital ID ownership in many middle-income countries. In countries such as Jordan, Turkey, and Ukraine, women are less likely than men to own digital IDs. The report said this may be connected to lower rates of smartphone ownership and digital literacy among women. However, more data is needed to fully understand the reasons behind this difference.
The World Bank also highlighted a gap between owning a digital ID and actually using it. In Vietnam, more than 70% of adults have a digital ID, but fewer than one in five have actually used it. In Turkey, a similar gap can be seen, with digital ID ownership at around 80%, while only about half of users have used their digital credentials.
The report stated that digital ID programs can still depend on physical documents during the enrollment phase. Because of this, weaknesses in the existing identity system could continue to create difficulties for people who are already excluded, including women, people with limited education, and people from poor and rural populations.
APAC Takes Different Approaches to Digital ID
The Asia-Pacific region has different approaches to adopting digital ID. Countries in South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia use different models for legal and digital identity.
India and Bangladesh have some of the largest and longest-running digital ID programs in South Asia. In Southeast Asia, eight of the 11 countries have digital ID platforms that are operational or near-operational.
The Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam have taken a foundational approach by connecting their digital IDs with national population or civil-registration systems. Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand mainly use digital IDs as authentication platforms for government and private-sector services.
In East Asia, countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mongolia generally operate government-developed digital platforms that provide access to public and private services. Japan’s My Number Card combines foundational identification with electronic authentication and digital signatures.
