Digital Identity

There may be no single factor that affects a person’s ability to share in the gains of global development -- to receive services and be represented -- as much as having an official identity.  The roughly 1.1 billion people who lack an official identity are invisible, discounted, and left behind. USAID is working to empower people through responsibly-designed ID systems.

Identity in a Digital Age: Infrastructure for Inclusive Development

Intended as a reference for policymakers and development practitioners, this full-length report discusses the current state of digital ID, the tensions between different stakeholders interacting with ID systems, and how the digital ID landscape is changing. Balancing the value and risks that ID systems create for both individuals and institutions is key to sustainable ID infrastructure. Read the Executive Summary here.

How To: Create Digital ID for Inclusive Development

Intended for development practitioners, donors, and program managers, this practical guide provides specific advice to get started thinking about and creating digital ID systems for development.

Infographic: Digital Identity and Inclusive Development

The infographic helps to illustrate how pieces of the ID ecosystem fit together. By becoming aware of these systems, the development community can be a responsible and effective steward of this technology.

Understanding the Social and Economic Value of National ID Systems

In partnership with the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) at Makerere University in Uganda, the following reports explore how and for whom national digital ID systems add value. 

• Understanding the Socio-Economic Benefits, Costs and Challenges of Digital Identity Systems in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania: Through extensive surveys, interviews and analyses, the RAN research team spoke with ID holders, ID providers, and third party service providers to arrive at a qualitative assessment of benefits and challenges to different users of national digital ID systems in East Africa.

• Understanding the Benefits, Costs, and Challenges of the National Identification System in Uganda: Drawing from an extensive household survey across Uganda, along with data from government departments, this report presents findings from a quantitative cost benefit analysis of Uganda’s national digital ID system.