Society & Lifestyle

Smart national ID issuance set to drop due to COVID-19

Amid lockdowns, many projects have experienced either a reduction in demand or postponement

Smart national ID

Smart national ID issuance set to drop due to COVID-19. Source:

ABI Research has unveiled that smart Government ID credentials’ shipments are set to drop to 547.5 million in 2020 from 617.6 million in 2019 due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Smart national ID issuance is forecast to decline of -2.3% from 2019 to 2020, falling to 296 million units.

Projects that have already begun issuance, such as in Turkey, Italy and, Bangladesh, will continue to issue, but at a slower pace.

However, new programs in the Philippines, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria have postponed enrollment and issuance until 2021.

The markets for passport and national ID have experienced an issuance downturn as governments prioritize healthcare and financial support for citizens. The typical churn rates for passports have fallen by 50-60% in some countries as closed borders and safety concerns deter citizens from renewing the high end-user cost document. Smart national ID programs have also been delayed due to a shifting of attention and will likely not be seen until 2021 at the earliest. As one example, the deadline in the United States for Real ID has been extended a year as states shift priority for tackling the pandemic
Sam Gazeley, Digital Security Analyst at ABI Research

As to e-passports, their issuance will be considerably lower in 2020 when compared to 2019 issuance levels. The study expects a 2019 to 2020 year-on-year decline of -34.9%, falling to 119 million units.

We’ve reported that Public Health Wales has accidentally left the personal data of 18,105 COVID-19 patients exposed on a public server.

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