Digital Public Infrastructure

Digital Public Infrastructure has emerged as a critical framework for delivering services to citizens worldwide. At its core, DPI consists of foundational digital systems that allow both public and private services to reach people efficiently, inclusively, and securely.

Think of DPI as digital versions of physical infrastructure like roads or power grids. Just as highways connect cities and electricity powers homes and businesses, DPI provides essential digital rails that enable services to reach citizens across digital channels.

What is Digital Public Infrastructure?

Digital Public Infrastructure encompasses the technological building blocks that form the foundation for digital economies and governments. These systems share several defining characteristics:

• They operate at population scale, capable of serving entire nations
• They’re built on open standards that reduce risk of vendor lock-in
• They enable both public and private sector services
• They’re designed for inclusion, reaching underserved populations

Countries build DPI differently based on their needs, but most implementations include some combination of digital identity systems, payment infrastructure, and data exchange platforms. These components work together as a stack, not as isolated systems.

The most successful DPI implementations follow principles of openness, sharing, and reuse. Rather than proprietary solutions built for single purposes, effective DPI embraces modular design that allows components to be assembled into various service delivery models.

Core Components of DPI

While implementations vary across countries, DPI typically consists of three fundamental layers:

Digital Identity Systems

These provide secure ways for people to verify who they are in digital interactions. Effective ID systems balance security with accessibility, ensuring even vulnerable populations can establish and use their digital identities.

For example, India’s Aadhaar system has enrolled over 1.3 billion people using biometric identification, while Estonia’s digital ID card enables citizens to access virtually all government services online through secure authentication.

Payment Infrastructure

Digital payment rails enable fast, low-cost transactions between individuals, businesses, and governments. These systems create the foundation for financial inclusion and efficient service delivery.

Singapore’s PayNow and India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) demonstrate how open payment infrastructure can transform economies. UPI processes over 10 billion transactions monthly, enabling everything from street vendor payments to government benefits disbursal.

Data Exchange Platforms

These allow secure, authorized data sharing across systems and organizations. Well-designed data exchange includes robust consent mechanisms and privacy protections.

Estonia’s X-Road serves as a model data exchange platform, connecting over 900 organizations and enabling services like automatic tax filing. Each data owner maintains control of their information, with citizens able to track exactly who has accessed their data and when.

Real-World Impact

The transformative potential of DPI becomes clear through examining its practical applications across various contexts:

Accelerated Financial Inclusion

India’s integrated DPI approach through India Stack (combining Aadhaar identity, UPI payments, and data sharing systems) drove financial inclusion rates from 25% to over 80% in just six years. Traditional approaches would have required decades to achieve similar results.

Crisis Response Capability

Countries with established DPI components demonstrated remarkable agility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Togo deployed its Novissi emergency cash transfer program in just 10 days, using digital identity and payment infrastructure to reach informal workers with targeted support. Thailand’s PromptPay system enabled government stimulus payments to reach 28 million citizens in days rather than months.

Public Service Transformation

DPI enables reimagining how services reach citizens. Digital infrastructure can streamline service delivery, reduce administrative costs, and improve accessibility for all citizens. Countries around the world are using integrated digital systems to transform everything from healthcare delivery to transportation services.

Principles for Effective DPI

Successful DPI implementations consistently demonstrate certain core principles:

Design for Inclusion

Effective DPI reaches everyone, including marginalized populations. This means accounting for varying digital literacy levels, language preferences, device access, and connectivity challenges. The most robust systems offer multiple access channels (online/offline options) and intentionally address barriers facing women, rural communities, and persons with disabilities.

Prioritize Interoperability

Systems built on open standards and APIs enable seamless communication between components. The Philippines’ integrated DPI approach demonstrates this principle through consistent data standards and open interfaces across government systems. Interoperability prevents vendor lock-in and enables competitive innovation around core infrastructure.

Balance Security and Accessibility

Strong data protection must coexist with usability. Morocco’s identity system implements privacy-by-design principles while maintaining simplicity for users. This includes data minimization, purpose limitation, and user control features that protect citizen information without creating unnecessary friction.

Implement Strong Governance

Clear frameworks define who can access and use the infrastructure. Effective governance establishes responsibilities, oversight mechanisms, and accountability measures for digital systems. The best governance models separate the roles of infrastructure provider, regulator, and service provider to maintain appropriate checks and balances.

Build for Sustainability

DPI requires sustainable technical, financial, and operational models. Bangladesh’s a2i program demonstrates this through phased implementation, capacity building, and a hybrid funding approach combining public resources with appropriate service fees. This ensures systems can evolve and maintain themselves over time.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite its potential, DPI implementation faces significant challenges:

Privacy and Security Risks

The collection and use of population-scale data creates inherent risks. These concerns must be addressed through legal frameworks, technical safeguards, and continuous assessment. Kenya’s Data Protection Act provides regulatory guardrails for their Huduma Namba digital ID system, though challenges remain in implementation and enforcement.

Digital Divide Considerations

Without careful design, DPI can exacerbate existing inequalities. Access gaps in connectivity, devices, and digital literacy must be explicitly addressed through complementary initiatives. India’s Common Service Centres serve as physical access points for digital services in rural areas, providing human mediation for those who need assistance.

Cross-sector Coordination

DPI requires collaboration across traditionally siloed departments and sectors. Breaking these barriers demands leadership commitment, aligned incentives, and governance structures that facilitate collaboration. Uruguay’s Digital Government Agency (AGESIC) provides a model for creating coordination capacity across government.

Connection to Digital Public Goods

DPI is intrinsically connected to Digital Public Goods (DPGs), though they represent distinct concepts. DPGs are specific open-source technologies, data models, or content that meet established standards for openness and accessibility. DPI, by contrast, represents the broader systems and infrastructure in which DPGs may be deployed.

Effectively designed DPI often leverages Digital Public Goods as components, allowing countries to build on existing open solutions rather than starting from scratch. For instance, MOSIP, an open-source digital identity platform, serves as a building block within larger DPI strategies in Morocco, the Philippines, and other nations.

Looking Forward

DPI represents a powerful approach for countries seeking to leverage digital transformation for inclusive development. When implemented thoughtfully, it accelerates progress across multiple sectors - from financial services to healthcare to education.

The field continues to evolve, with growing attention to cross-border interoperability, shared development models, and governance frameworks. As more countries develop their DPI strategies, learning from both successes and challenges becomes increasingly valuable for the global community.

Further Resources

• DIAL’s Guide to Good Digital Public Infrastructure
• Co-Develop’s Digital Public Infrastructure Guidebook
• G20 Framework for Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure
• Digital Public Infrastructure: A Pathway to Inclusive Recovery