Trends in Access to ID in Sub-Saharan Africa

This regional policy note focused on Sub-Saharan Africa shares new data collected in partnership between the World Bank’s Global Findex and Identification for Development (ID4D) initiatives. The note reveals fresh insights about the relationship between having a government-issued identification document (simply referred to as ID in this note) and accessing basic services such as government support, financial services, or healthcare. We explore these subjects through the lens of data on four select economies: Benin, Mozambique, Niger, and Tanzania. All the data related to IDs derives from survey questions fielded as part of the Global Findex 2021, which asked respondents whether they personally possessed their economy’s foundational ID. For each economy, the survey used the actual term for the foundational ID in the local language.

Access to ID varies across Sub-Saharan Africa

Government-issued identification documents (ID) serve as an entry card for a wide range of everyday services in Sub-Saharan Africa. Depending on the country, adults may need to show their ID to receive a government benefit payment, register their children for school, receive medical care, or sign up for a financial account.

Access to an ID varies widely across the continent. In the 36 Sub-Saharan African economies where the World Bank collected data, 78 percent of eligible people above the age of 15 own one (see Figure 1).¹ Yet individual economies tell a more nuanced story. In places like Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia, more than 90 percent of men and women above the age of 15 have an ID. They stand in contrast to economies like Benin and Mozambique, where fewer than 60 percent of eligible people have one. In seven Sub-Saharan African economies in our sample, less than 60 percent of adults have an ID, and in 13 economies less than 70 percent of adults have one (see Figure 1).²

In all economies with ID penetration above ninety percent, save Kenya, women and men are equally likely to have one.³ Among the 13 economies with ID access rates below 70 percent, however, significant gender gaps exist in 10 of them. Among our four focus economies, the gender gaps range from three percentage points in Tanzania to 14 and 19 percentage points in Mozambique and Niger, respectively (see Figure 2) .

Income gaps are also common, but not universal. In Mozambique, adults in the poorest 40 percent of households are 21 percentage points less likely than adults in the richest 60 percent to have an ID. In Benin, in contrast, there is no ID income gap. Finally, in most economies, rural residents are less likely to have IDs than urban residents. In Benin, the urban/rural gap is 11 percentage points.

Why don’t people have an ID?

The process of applying for a government ID brings challenges that reduce access for some people. The process and requirements vary by economy, though it is often the case that you can only apply in cities with a government office, you need to bring a birth certificate or some other acceptable documentation confirming your identity, and there is a fee involved. Each of these requirements creates a barrier for some.

Specifically, when asked why they do not have one, respondents without an ID are most likely to cite one or more of the following top-three reasons: they lack the necessary supporting documentation to get one; it’s too far to travel to get one; and the expense of getting an ID is too high, which might include lost wages and travel costs to reach an administrative office (many adults also report not knowing the cost of an ID). Across the 13 countries, women are on average significantly more likely than men to report an ID as too expensive. Other prevalent reasons are that the respondent does not think they need one; that they use a different form of identification for their everyday needs; and that they are not comfortable sharing personal information to get one (see Figure 3).

^{FIGURE 3. Multiple barriers to access keep adults who lack ID from getting one
Adults with no ID (%) citing a given barrier as a reason for having no ID, 2021}

^{Source: Global Findex 2021}

Different barriers take top place in different economies. For example, in Benin, 35 percent of adults without an ID say they do not have one because they use another form of identification, whereas in Tanzania, 21 percent of adults report not having the necessary documentation to apply for or obtain ID—women are significantly more likely to cite this barrier. In Niger, 40 percent of adults say that places where they would apply for an ID are too far away; women are 14 percentage points more likely than men to give this reason, perhaps due to social norms or family responsibilities that limit women’s ability to travel (see Figure 3). Finally, in Mozambique, the highest share of respondents say they do not think they need an ID, cited by 43 percent of adults. It is also important to note that for each barrier, a small share of adults may have either refused to answer or reported not knowing if it posed a challenge. This points to a subset of the population that might be unaware of the services and products they are unable to access without ID, and to a lack of knowledge about the requirements of getting an ID, perhaps because they have never tried to get one.

Why is having an ID important?

The survey asked adults without an ID how easy it is for them to access government support services, participate in elections, use financial services, buy a SIM card, find a job, and access medical care. For each of these tasks across the economies for which we have data, between 18 percent (accessing medical care) and 39 percent (buying a SIM card) of adults without ID say not having one poses a challenge (see Figure 4).

Difficulty buying a SIM card was the most frequently cited challenge for adults without ID in 10 of the 13 economies with ID ownership below 70 percent. In Tanzania, 57 percent of adults experience this challenge. Difficulty participating in elections, accessing financial services, finding a job, and receiving medical care also challenging without an ID. For instance, half of adults in Mali report not being able to participate in elections because they don’t have ID, 37 percent of adults in The Gambia are unable to receive medical care, and 39 percent of adults in Republic of Congo have challenges finding a job. In addition, over 30 percent of adults in Benin, Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, and Mozambique report not being able to use financial services.

Not having an ID is likely not the only reason adults have trouble accessing some of these services. As it relates to financial services specifically, distance from a bank branch, cultural norms, and qualifications all play a role. Nonetheless, Global Findex data finds that in Mozambique, Niger, and Tanzania, over half of unbanked adults say they do not have a mobile money account because they lack the necessary documentation to get one. Of all the barriers to financial access, not having an ID is among those that policies and programs could influence, bringing additional benefits in the process.

What approaches can facilitate increased ID access?

Successful approaches to facilitating greater ID access should consider the barriers described above. For example, qualitative research on the gender gap in Nigeria highlighted the need to bring ID registration closer to where people live to reduce both travel time and the costs associated with transportation—two key issues that disproportionately affect women. Reducing the number of documents and data fields required to register, and offering flexibility around which documents are required for registration, are essential steps to simplifying the registration process and ensuring inclusion of marginalized groups.

There is precedent from other regions on the positive impact of tackling related access gaps with a single government-supported program. For example, a program in India focused on providing government-issued IDs and correspondingly opening bank accounts for people. This program is credited with rapidly increasing financial access equitably across the country.

Endnotes

^{1. The Global Findex collects data on adults aged 15 and older but, in some economies, individuals are not eligible to have an ID until they are older than 15. Adults below the age cutoff are excluded from ID ownership calculations. Sub-Saharan African economies where adults are eligible at age 16: Botswana, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Eligible at age 17: South Sudan. Eligible at age 18: Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Tanzania.}

^{2. Economies where fewer than 60 percent of adults own an ID include Benin, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Mozambique, South Sudan, and Togo. Economies where 60-70 percent of adults own an ID include the Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.}

^{3. In Kenya, men are 5 percentage points more likely than women to have ID.}