Governmental Biometric Expenditures Expected to Reach US$8.6 Billion by 2020—Border Control Applications Take the Spotlight

​ABI Research forecasts that governmental biometric spend is expected to reach US$8.6 billion by 2020. “While the enterprise and consumer electronics market segments are increasing sharply, governmental spending still forms the largest portion of biometric expenditures,” comments Research Analyst Dimitrios Pavlakis. “Revenue growth is primarily driven by law enforcement and civil applications, namely border control, access control, work force management, and biometric national ID initiatives—each with their own unique pitfalls and opportunities.”

Major potential roadblocks are present for every application, for example, identification IDs initiatives (such as e-passports, national IDs, and drivers’ licenses) may come to a halt due to lack of proper large-scale planning and coordination among governmental agencies; while biometric registration might have various implications across different regions depending on the culture and governmental infrastructure. Market opportunities and enablers identified include the rapid adoption of cloud computing, increased use of security protocols against intellectual property theft, and emerging market growth.

Morpho (Saffran), NEC, 3M-Cogent, Fujitsu, M2SYS, Crossmatch, AGNITiO, and Aware Inc. are among the companies playing a dynamic role in the market. Biometric modalities (fingerprint, iris, retina, face, voice, palm, and finger vein recognition) are examined based on a number of variables including resistance, cost, collectability, and attitude.

These findings are part of ABI Research’s Biometric Technologies and Applications Market Research.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.