This report analyses global progress on digital civil registration and legal identity systems, highlighting persistent inequalities in birth registration among the poorest, least educated and most marginalised populations. Drawing on disaggregated household survey data and country examples, it shows that while overall registration rates have improved, many people remain invisible to official systems due to structural barriers, fragmented data infrastructures and reliance on paper-based records.
The report argues for a shift towards digitised, interoperable civil registration and identity management systems, critiques the limitations of survey-based monitoring, and proposes system-based approaches drawing directly on registration data. It concludes by calling for long-term investment led by national governments and supported by donors, the production of vital statistics directly from registration systems, and the prioritisation of interconnected foundational data systems across civil registration, health and education to ensure no one is left behind.