So do those jurisdictions provide passports for free (or very low cost) and/or make them easy to acquire?
In the US to get a passport isn't an arduous process, but it isn't easy nor cheap; when I got mine done (full thing - card and actual passport), I had to first get a passport photo taken and paid for (walgreens), then go to a local courthouse during a weekday (which I had to take off the time for), then pay a bunch of money (oh - and I had to give them my birth certificate and some other ID - which I got back when I received my passport weeks later) - then wait.
I think there were fingerprints involved too...
Anyhow - it wasn't an easy or cheap process, but I can understand why they make it that way. But for most people in the US, unless they travel internationally, they never obtain a passport, because of this process. It is only set up for people who can afford it (both in time and money).
So - if it is a requirement in other areas of the world, then receiving or obtaining a passport would have to be made easier for those who couldn't afford the time or money; time could be made by legislation making employers provide time for doing such a thing, and/or keeping courts or wherever to process the applications open on weekends or have later hours or something.
Of course - we are talking about "non-US" places, which seem to have far saner social policies under which this would fall...
Don't know about other EU countries but here everyone older than 15 years is required to have a passport or id card by law. The fee is ~1/4 of what it costs in US. You don't need to make a photo before as it can be taken during application. If you don't want to wait in queue it is possible to make an appointment by phone.
There's a lot of confused comments on this thread.
In my experience, hotels only need a passport or similar identification for non-citizens or non-residents — both would usually have a passport or equivalent to be in a foreign country.
(But to answer your question, for a first adult British passport one needs a digital photo, birth certificate, and a parent's passport number. Everything is done online[1].)
Note that in the EU, at least, the data is not sent to the government authorities, but it must be available to them.