Published: May 2025
The rapid advancement of technology – driven by increasing affordability and accessibility – is giving rise to a generation whose identities and interactions are primarily digital. This widespread integration of technology has led to the adoption of digital tools as essential components of governance and public service delivery around the world. These tools are collectively referred to as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). DPI refers to foundational digital platforms – along with the supporting institutional and legal frameworks – that enable society-wide functions and services. Globally, there is growing optimism about the transformative potential of DPI across sectors and use cases, including its ability to spur economic growth, improve access to justice, and support climate goals in low- and middle-income countries.
The Indian example is often cited as a successful model of the development and deployment of DPIs for large-scale impact. India’s digital ID program, Aadhaar, has near universal coverage, with over 1.42 billion Aadhaar numbers issued as of March 2025. Authentication of identity through Aadhaar is plugging leakages in targeted subsidy schemes of the government, and reducing the costs incurred by businesses in customer acquisition and verification. The peer-to-peer payment system, UPI (Unified Payments Interface) recorded a peak of 18 billion monthly transactions in March 2025. Other services are being built on top of the underlying DPI protocols and consequently improving residents’ access to government and commercial services. India has also launched the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository to export the systems that underpin IndiaStack with the promise of transformational change.
While the aggregate platform adoption/use statistics are impressive, the impact of DPIs has not been studied and evaluated extensively, particularly its contribution to financial inclusion and overall economic growth. Our conversations with researchers reveal a lack of granular and disaggregated data on DPIs that can facilitate the estimation of its overall impact on society. This report provides an overview of existing research on DPIs and the data currently available, while strongly advocating for greater public access to disaggregated and open data.