New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India has deactivated over 20 million Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals as part of a nationwide initiative to enhance the integrity of the Aadhaar system. The clean-up drive aims to prevent identity fraud and ensure government benefits are delivered only to eligible recipients.
UIDAI sourced information on deceased citizens from multiple channels, including the Registrar General of India, state governments, union territories, and various central ministries and departments. The authority is also exploring partnerships with financial institutions and other agencies to expand access to verified data related to deaths.
Officials stressed that Aadhaar numbers, once issued, cannot be reassigned to anyone else. The removal of inactive identities is meant solely to block any possibility of misuse, especially in welfare schemes and financial transactions.
Earlier this year, UIDAI introduced an online facility for families to report the death of a loved one through the myAadhaar portal. The feature is currently active in 25 states and union territories through integration with the Civil Registration System. More regions are expected to be added soon.
UIDAI has deactivated more than 2 crore Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals as part of a nationwide effort to maintain the continued accuracy of the Aadhaar database.
UIDAI has sourced deceased persons data from Registrar General of India (RGI), States/UTs, Public… pic.twitter.com/IOb0b9JBMY
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) November 26, 2025
To report a death, the family member must authenticate themselves on the portal and provide details such as their Aadhaar number, the deceased person’s Aadhaar number, the Death Registration Number, and basic demographic information. Once the information is verified, UIDAI processes the request and deactivates the relevant Aadhaar number.
UIDAI’s effort to remove Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals began in 2024 and steadily expanded this year. By mid-July 2025, more than 11.7 million Aadhaar numbers had been deactivated.
The figure reached about 14 million in September, and has now crossed 20 million as the authority moves toward its wider goal of creating a more accurate and secure national identity system.
