The World Bank has said about 850 million people globally do not have an official means of identification.

This was revealed in the bank’s Identification for Development Initiative report that was released on Monday.

According to the report, most of the people without any official means of identification lived in low and lower middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The data which covered 194 countries revealed that over half of those without proof of identity were children whose births had not been registered. Despite some progress, women living in low-income countries were still eight percentage points less likely to have an ID than men.

The report also said that 56 per cent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa; 472 million, were without ID compared to 0.1 per cent in North America.

Globally, the report claimed that around one in three of those without an ID reported difficulty using financial services, receiving financial support from the government, applying for a job, and voting in elections.

Nearly 40 per cent of adults without an ID also reported difficulties obtaining a SIM card or mobile phone service, while around 25 per cent had problems receiving medical care.

Meanwhile, the National Identification Management Commission has said that it has over 90 million Nigerians registered in its database.