the measurement roadmap

The measurement work undertaken in the OECD Going Digital project has led to a set of nine proposed actions that, if prioritised and implemented, would substantially advance the capacity of countries to monitor the digital transformation and its impacts.

• Make the digital transformation visible in economic statistics
• Understand the economic impacts of digital transformation
• Measure well-being in the digital age
• Design new approaches to data collection

Five of the actions are targeted to specific areas identified as requiring attention:

• Monitor transformative technologies (notably the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and blockchain).
• Make sense of data and data flows
• Define and measure the skills needed in the digital era
• Measure trust in online environments
• Assess governments’ digital strengths

By further building the evidence base, countries can prepare the ground for more robust policies to promote growth and well-being in the digital era. Action now will reap rewards in the future.

Download the measurement roadmap (also available in Chinese, German, Japanese, Portuguese) and selected in-depth thematic roadmaps:

	Growth and well-being	Digital intensity of sectors Well-being in the digital age Digital transformation and economic statistics
	Enhancing access	Measuring the Internet of Things Measuring broadband quality
	Increasing effective use	Measuring e-commerce Measuring cloud computing services Potential of survey micro-data
	Unleashing innovation	Digitalisation of science Measuring open source software Internet as a source for statistical data
	Ensuring good jobs for all	Platform-mediated workers E-skills
	Promoting social prosperity	Online platforms Digital government maturity
	Strengthening trust	Digital security in businesses Measuring individuals’ trust in online environments
	Fostering market openness	Measuring digital trade Measuring data and data flows

interactive charts

The digital transformation is a multifaceted and fast-moving phenomenon that has significant impacts, including on the business processes and models of firms. As a result, the pace of technology uptake will depend, among other factors, on the type of sector in which a given firm operates. While no single indicator is able to reflect the pace of technology development and diffusion, combining indicators can provide insights into how different sectors, are positioned in terms of technology adoption. Industries can then be classified into quartiles from most to least digital intensive which allows cross-country comparisons across a number of dimensions by digital intensity of sectors.

Going digital toolkit

A smaller set of indicators for the OECD Going Digital policy dimensions has been selected for visualisation and international comparisons in the Going Digital Toolkit. The Toolkit also provides easy access to additional indicators from the publication and the underlying data and databases, as well as related publications, policy guidance and more.

related reading

• Roadmap toward a Common Framework for Measuring the Digital Economy (2020)
• Going Digital: Shaping Policies, Improving Lives (2019)
• OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard: The Digital Transformation (2017)
• OECD Digital Economy Outlook (2017)
• Measuring the Digital Economy: A New Perspective (2014)