I wish I had your optimism. The overwhelming majority of the world has a national identity scheme. And for most countries that have a national identity scheme, it is compulsory. I am doubtful that the countries that have been used to national identity schemes for decades would show strong resistance, if any, to digital ID cards. Especially if it’s compulsory where they are and especially in the Global South.
The fact that those countries don’t question national identity cards in the first place is alarming. I don’t think any of them would be open to get rid of it because they are used to it, and they don’t appreciate the privacy issues related to its implementation. It’s also likely not a priority for them when it comes to their life and political concerns, especially if they are poor or struggling.
I had this discussion with @KevPham in a different post. To my knowledge, the only country that once had national IDs and then got rid of it is the UK.
They were adopted during WWII as an emergency measure, but then they got rid of it in 1952 because people saw it as invasive. But that was in the middle of the 20th century. It would be extremely difficult to get rid of national IDs in the 21st century, as there are so many challenges.
I would love to be proven wrong, but I’m extremely skeptical.