Global eID revenue to reach $54 billion, says Acuity

According to a new study from Acuity Market Intelligence, the global market for national electronic ID (eID) programs will generate US$54 billion in revenues between 2013 to 2018. The firm also estimates that the number of national eID cards in circulation will double from 1.75 billion to 3.5 billion during this same time period.

“In five years time, half of the world’s population will have a chip-based national eID card, including near-complete regional coverage in Europe,” according to C. Maxine Most, Principal at Acuity. “This eID platform will encourage significant expansion of eGovernment services and provide the foundation for the development of national and global trusted authentication infrastructures.”

In a recent special report, Biometrics Research Group, the publisher of BiometricUpdate.com, defined eID as a government-issued document used for online and offline identification. The report found that many countries, including Brazil, France, Indonesia, Poland, Russia, Malaysia and the Philippines have been issuing electronic identity cards.

Acuity estimates that while the total number of countries with some form of national ID program is projected to increase to 6.5 percent, from 142 to 152 countries between 2013 and 2018, the number of countries issuing national eID cards will increase 70 percent from 56 to 95 during this period. In addition to the 3.5 billion chip-based national eIDs issued by these 95 countries, another 300 million National ID cards will be issued by 31 countries that have integrated biometrics into non chip-based card programs.

Acuity estimates that Asia, with its vast population, will dominate the market representing nearly 70 percent of all national eID cards issued, while Europe will trail a distant second with 11 percent.

Most also notes: “The evolution of national eIDs is also an evolution towards mobility as these physical electronic credentials evolve towards virtual credentials that are easily stored in mobile devices. This separation of credential from form factor will fundamentally shift the way identity is established, referenced, and used everyday across the globe.”

Other analysis and projections from Acuity’s “Global National eID Industry Report: 2014 Edition” includes comprehensive, country-by-country, regional, and global unit and revenue forecasts for all national eID cards programs.

Article Topics

Acuity  |  biometrics  |  eID  |  electronic identity cards  |  electronic passports