And, smart card shipments in 2019 will rise to 10.9 billion units, up from 8.8 billion in 2014. To put this in perspective, the number of smart cards shipped in 2019 alone will allow each of the world's 7.6 billion projected inhabitants to obtain 1.4 smart cards during the year. It is about equal to the combined populations of China, the United States, Indonesia and Brazil.
According to API’s research, the use of such cards is forecasted to increase from 569 million last year to 2 billion by 2019, penetrating over a quarter of the total worldwide population. Leading users of duel ID/paycard technology today are China and Malaysia, which collectively hold 95 percent of converged credentials currently in circulation. The remaining 5 percent are tied up in pilot programs in Russia, Brazil and Nigeria.
Market research firm RNOCS has published a new report which shows that the number of smart cards used in the government and healthcare sector rose by around 18 per cent in 2011 compared to last year. Overall, the number of microprocessor smart cards shipped last year is expected to have reached 6.1 billion in 2011.
The Smart Card Market Forecast to 2014 report has estimated that this figure will continue to rise over the coming years as more governments across the world embrace contactless smart card technology.
Read more: Use of smart cards in public sector rises in 2011
The employment of higher-value applications, in particular e-passports and smart national ID cards, alongside the increased focus on multi-application credentials, has accelerated the smart card market value. The market is expected to peak in 2014, before settling at a level close to $15 billion.
Read more: Smart Credentials for Government, Healthcare, and Citizen ID Worth Over $72B by 2016
RNCOS says: “Governments are putting in place the legal framework to leverage strong identity credentials for eGovernment, eHealth and eCommerce. Smart technology-based healthcare ID cards are also being issued in many countries.” According to the report, ‘Smart Card Market Forecast to 2014’, the unit shipment of smart cards for the government/healthcare segment is estimated to have grown by around 18% last year, with further increases expected.