Analysis of 50 European eIDs shows most popular apps found in Ukraine and Turkey

The most popular European digital identities are not in the EU, a new survey analyzing 50 eID apps across the continent has shown.

Turkey and Ukraine are the frontrunners when it comes to the number of downloads  – approximately half of their population has installed an eID app on their phone. The two EU candidate countries are followed by Poland, where a quarter of the nation has downloaded an eID app, according to research published by identity verification firm Authologic.

But download numbers are not the only indicator of popularity for an eID app; a more important question may be how much an app is used. A case in point is Germany, a country which has over 23 million eID app downloads (33.2 percent reach) but a usage rate of only 4.8 percent.

Opposite of that are Cyprus, Moldova, Estonia and Denmark. An analysis of monthly active users (MAU) shows that the most used digital identity apps are found in these countries.

Authologic, however, admits that the data comes with some caveats.

In countries such as Sweden or Norway, digital identity is almost entirely integrated in banking and banks are reluctant to release usage data. The research, instead, focuses on official state eID apps such as mObywatel, Diia or MitID, relying on insights from data intelligence platform Similarwab, the company explains.

Authologic says its research into European eIDs has unearthed three interesting “correlations.”

Countries with fewer than five million adults have an average usage rate of 14.3 percent, which is nearly double that of large countries. The conclusion is that smaller-scale eID projects seem to build their service ecosystem faster, drawing in more users.

App users in countries which are currently going through a digital transition are more active than in those with advanced digitalization.

“This suggests newer systems learn from the mistakes of pioneers, being designed for daily needs such as banking and mobility rather than just e-administration,” says the report. “Alternatively, users in these rapidly evolving digital economies may be more eager to adopt new technologies as part of their daily routine.”

The final correlation implies that private and public-private models generate the highest user retention. Wallets that began as commercial solutions had time to develop strong adoption and robust use cases, the company claims.

“Integrating eID with daily commercial services is the most effective cure for low activity,” says Authologic.

The Poland-based company offers Know Your Customer (KYC) services with eID.

Article Topics

Authologic  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  e-ID  |  EU  |  Europe  |  mobile app