Digital government has become a cornerstone for efficient public service, especially highlighted by the pandemic when it helped maintain operations during crisis times.
The recently released 2023 OECD Digital Government Index (DGI) examines how well countries are building the necessary foundations for digital transformation that prioritizes people and coherent service delivery.
Countries are evaluated based on six dimensions:
- Digital by Design: Integrating digital considerations from the ground up.
- Data-Driven Public Sector: Harnessing data for informed decision-making.
- Government as a Platform: Offering services facilitated by technology.
- Open by Default: Ensuring transparency and accessibility.
- User-Driven: Tailoring services to meet citizen needs.
- Proactiveness: Anticipating public needs through digital means.
An overall composite score for each country is created based on evaluation of each of the six dimensions. The score, measured on a scale from 0 to 1, indicates the level of effort in establishing the foundations for a coherent and human-centered digital transformation of the public sector, with 1 representing the highest level of effort.
The top 5 OECD-performers in the 2023 Index were Korea, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway and Australia.
Korea was the top performing country in four of the six sub-indicies, while Australia led in terms of being digital by design and the United Kingdom when it comes to being user driven.