In which countries around the world do citizens don't require digital ID to be fully functioning within the society?
Executive summary
A clear global divide has emerged: many countries have deployed or are mandating digital ID systems, but sizable democracies and a number of EU member states still allow citizens to function without a compulsory digital ID because systems are voluntary, fragmented, or absent; notable examples cited in reporting include the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as countries where mandatory national digital identity schemes have been resisted [1], while in Europe most national digital ID wallets remain voluntary even as the EU pushes a rollout by 2026 [2].
1. The simple threshold: voluntary vs mandatory digital ID
The practical distinction underpinning the question is whether a state legally requires a resident to hold and use a state-backed digital identity to access employment, banking, healthcare and other core functions; many reported systems are voluntary or complementary to physical IDs rather than legally compulsory—Euronews notes that most European schemes remain voluntary or linked to existing physical cards despite EU eIDAS 2.0 obligations [2], and Comparitech reports that in many countries residents may be unable to access some services without a digital ID but that it is often not a legal requirement [3].
2. Anglosphere exceptions and civic pushback
Longstanding resistance in several English-speaking democracies has meant citizens can remain fully functional without a national digital ID: the Electronic Frontier Foundation documents successful opposition to mandatory biometric national ID schemes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States [1], which implies that in those polities routine life does not legally depend on a single national digital identity system even where other identity documents exist [4].
3. Europe’s patchwork: wallets mandatory by policy, optional in practice
EU-level law (eIDAS 2.0) requires member states to offer digital identity wallets by 2026, but reporting shows a patchwork rollout where national systems are often voluntary and tethered to existing physical ID infrastructure—pilot projects run across 26 EU countries, Norway, Iceland and Ukraine, yet most implementations remain non-mandatory [2]; Comparitech also flags that several countries still lack “fully-fledged” schemes and that the UK is unusual in proposing mandatory use for certain tasks [3].
4. Cases where digital IDs are effectively required in practice
Some nations have built systems that, while not always legally labeled “mandatory,” functionally force reliance on digital ID for core services: India’s Aadhaar, for example, is described in reporting as de facto required for hundreds of public and private services such as banking and exams [5], and Comparitech and other sources note countries where access to services is conditioned on digital credentials even if the law stops short of universal compulsion [3] [6].
5. Practical implications and limitations of the sources
The available reporting reveals trends but not a definitive global ledger: Comparitech counts 13 countries without fully-fledged digital ID schemes but notes nine are building them [3], Wikipedia outlines that fewer than ten countries do not issue national identity cards but warns national practices vary and other documents (passports, driver licences) still serve as IDs [4], and analysts warn there is no single global standard for digital ID design, meaning “fully functioning” without a digital ID can look different by country and service [7]. Reporting coverage ends in late 2025/early 2026 and focuses on certain regions, so any exhaustive list of countries whose citizens do not require digital ID can’t be confirmed from these sources alone.