October 30, 2026
Haiti has an opportunity to build on recent progress in identification and extend the benefits of a valid, unique national identification card to more people, according to a new World Bank Group report released today, Diagnostic of the Identification Ecosystem: Haiti . An estimated 2.7 to 3.1 million Haitian adults—about one in three—still lack a valid card. Expanding coverage can enable more people to access essential services, employment, and economic opportunities.
“Improving the identification system so that public and private service providers can use it will enable the delivery of essential identity verification and authentication services, including verifying the uniqueness and authenticity of documents and the validity of identity information ,” said Anne-Lucie Lefebvre, World Bank Group Country Manager for Haiti . “Investing in the identification ecosystem is not only about fulfilling a fundamental right; it is also a strategic opportunity to promote inclusive and sustainable access to employment in Haiti.”
Over the past few decades, Haiti has made significant progress. National identification cards have been issued to approximately 67% of adults. Among children under five, 85% were registered at birth and 77% have a birth certificate. The 2020 decree introducing biometric ID cards with a chip, along with efforts to decentralize card printing and increase the number of service points, demonstrates the Government’s commitment to reform. These advances provide a solid foundation for reaching the poorest households and rural populations.
Further progress will depend on predictable funding, clearer definitions of institutional mandates, and a unified national strategy with cost estimates. Targeted measures can extend coverage to the poorest 40% of households, residents of remote or insecure areas, women facing cultural barriers to birth registration, and people displaced by insecurity, including evicted persons and internally displaced persons.
Bringing services closer to rural communities and areas affected by insecurity would make access simpler and more affordable. While identity documents are officially free, reducing informal fees, travel costs, repeated visits, and lost income would encourage more people to register. Streamlining late birth registration, supporting single mothers who register births, reducing waiting times, ensuring the availability of adequate materials, and strengthening accountability can also increase public trust.
“Without valid identification or civil registration, people struggle to enroll in school, access social assistance, open bank or mobile money accounts, find formal employment, and participate in civic and political life ,” said Alexandre Amard, a digital specialist at the World Bank Group and co-author of the report . “Weak identification systems also reduce the effectiveness of social protection programs, while excluding low-income households from the digital economy. The lack of linkages between civil registration, identification, and statistical data makes it impossible to produce reliable demographic estimates to inform public policy.”
Addressing the remaining gaps will contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which calls for ensuring legal identity for all, including through birth registration. The diagnostic proposes a concrete reform program built around three pillars: inclusion, system design, and governance. Key recommendations include expanding access to identity documents and coverage through the decentralization of services, improving registration through mass campaigns, securing long-term funding , and modernizing laws and policies by clarifying the legal framework, adopting data protection and cybersecurity laws, and defining a shared national vision.
“Haiti’s identification system provides a solid foundation on which to build,” the assessment concludes. With sustained commitment and coordinated implementation, these reforms can help all Haitians exercise their rights and benefit from improved access to services, social protection, financial inclusion, civic participation, and economic opportunities.