OECD releases the 2023 digital government index

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released its latest edition of the Digital Government Index (DGI), which ranks digital governments across the globe. The 2023 edition of the index evaluates governments’ efforts to establish the necessary foundations for a coherent and human-centred digital transformation of the public sector.

The DGI assesses whether governments have the necessary foundations to leverage data and technology for public sector digital transformation. It focuses on six dimensions, with ‘digital by design’ being one of them. This dimension measures governments’ efforts to institutionalise digital government and enable public sector institutions to use digital tools and data coherently and strategically.

The report also highlights the dimension of ‘data-driven public sector,’ which evaluates whether governments are advancing in developing the foundations needed for data access and sharing across the public sector. While many countries have established data protection regimes and authorities, more effort is required to fully harness data as a strategic asset across government. The report calls for countries to enhance data leadership to complement their efforts.

The top ten performers in the 2023 Digital Government Index are Korea, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, Estonia, Colombia, Ireland, France, and Canada. These countries demonstrate comprehensive efforts in implementing digital government policies across the six dimensions.

Why does it matter?

Overall, governments have made significant progress in strengthening the governance of digital government. However, there is still a need to enhance the mandate and oversight mechanisms of the entrusted governance arrangements. The report emphasises the importance of bridging the gap between high and low performers in the data-driven public sector dimension and urges more countries to enhance their data leadership. This latest edition of the OECD Digital Government Index provides valuable insights into governments’ progress and challenges in digital transformation efforts.