Digital public goods are becoming increasingly vital to governments worldwide. However, their greatest advantage is precisely what makes them so difficult to track: governments can adopt, adapt, and operate these systems entirely on their own terms, with no obligation to request permission. This means deployments are often not reported back to the original DPG product owners which results in gaps in truly knowing the global footprint of DPGs and dependence on fragmented and anecdotal information.

To replace this guesswork with empirical data, the DPGA Secretariat undertook research that mapped 18 software DPGs deployments. The findings revealed a striking scale of adoption: 244 active deployments operating across 103 countries, supporting the work of public authorities at national scale.

For decision makers and funders, establishing this verified footprint provides a strategic tool, highlighting proven peer-country models for public procurement and revealing exactly where targeted funding can help early-stage systems reach full scale. While insufficient for measuring impact alone, understanding where and at what stage DPGs are deployed can inform future research on how DPGs actually integrate, scale, and evolve as well as their development outcomes.

High-Level Insights

By combining desk research, DPG product owner consultation, and independent verification, the pilot revealed four trends regarding how DPGs operate on the ground:

• Low- and Middle-Income Countries Drive Global Adoption: Roughly three-quarters of all documented deployments are occurring in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Sub-Saharan Africa demonstrates a highly distributed adoption pattern, hosting 66 deployments spanning 30 different countries—nearly two-thirds of the region. Meanwhile, South Asia boasts 37 deployments, though this regional picture is heavily skewed by India, which alone accounts for 32 primarily state-level rollouts. Latin America also shows strong, distributed momentum, with 21 deployments across 14 countries.

Key Takeaway → Policymakers and funders seeking to understand DPG adoption should look to the Global South. The highly distributed rollouts across Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America offer practical models of implementation, providing valuable empirical lessons on scaling digital infrastructure that can inform technology strategies globally, including in developed nations.

• Nearly 40% of the documented deployments are currently in the pilot or implementation phases. A substantial portion of the DPG deployments studied are currently in the pilot or implementation phase. MOSIP, for instance, represents a major upcoming wave of digital identity infrastructure, with 16 of its 22 counted deployments still in the pilot stage.

Key Takeaway → Funders and implementation partners have a practical opportunity to support these developing systems. Because so many deployments are in early stages, stakeholders may still help shape system design and governance as they scale. Conversely, for the deployments that have already reached live status, partners can pivot their strategies toward maintenance, upgrades, and long-term sustainability

• Co-Location Does Not Equal Integration: Governments in nearly half of the adopting jurisdictions (50 out of 103 countries) deploy multiple DPGs. However, running multiple DPGs within the same country does not automatically constitute a functioning, integrated digital stack. Excluding DHIS2, 10 countries deploy multiple DPI-focused solutions, yet only Ethiopia, Tonga, and the Philippines have demonstrated verified, production-level integration between them. For example, Tonga successfully linked its civil registration system (OpenCRVS) directly to its national ID system (built on MOSIP) so that vital events automatically update the identity register.

Key Takeaway → To build truly cohesive digital public infrastructure, governments and stakeholders must shift focus from simply deploying new systems to connecting the ones they already have. By learning from countries that have successfully bridged administrative silos, authorities can turn isolated software deployments into a functioning digital ecosystem.

• Usage Metrics Remain Fragmented: Deployment counts confirm that DPGs are being widely deployed, but they do not serve as reliable proxies for developmental impact or social inclusion. While research confirmed five live national ID systems built on MOSIP hold approximately 168 million registrations, and data exchange systems like Cambodia's CamDX have routed over 117 million transactions, usage data overall remains fragmented. Comparing digital identities to financial transactions or course enrollments prevents a standardized analysis of global DPG performance.

Key Takeaway → Governments, product owners, and researchers must collaborate to establish standard, domain-specific indicators to measure tangible benefits for citizens rather than just technical scale.

To explore these findings in depth, download the full report and openly available dataset.

The report starts with the pilot's scope and method. It then explains which DPGs were examined and why, how they work together, and how they relate to Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and climate action, followed by country examples on selected deployments, lessons and learnings on mapping DPG deployments and how to contribute. The annex provides insight into the full methodology, the deployment table and a glossary of fields.

Where this Research is Going and How to Contribute

This pilot dataset is just a starting point. A reliable global census depends on active ecosystem participation to shape future metrics and improve accuracy. We are therefore calling on all stakeholders to engage directly with the data:

• Spot missing data: Report unrecorded deployments, integrations, or outdated project phases.

• Submit DPG data: DPG product owners can integrate their pipeline and deployment records.

• Confirm government records: Governments can verify their system’s scale, legal basis, and operational partners.

• Conduct independent research: Researchers can use this baseline to further investigate hard-to-measure areas like usage, inclusion, and governance.

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