Governments are under increasing pressure to deliver faster, be more responsive and ensure reliable human-centred public services, while operating under tight fiscal constraints. The rapid advance of artificial intelligence (AI) reinforces this imperative, opening opportunities as quickly as it raises governance challenges. Yet many public sector systems have struggled to keep pace.
Digital technologies and data are no longer optional tools for reform; they are essential to ensuring public sector performance, resilience and trust. OECD Member countries have made significant progress in building the foundations of digital government, guided by the OECD Recommendations on Digital Government Strategies (2014), on Enhancing Access to and Sharing of Data (2021), on the Governance of Digital Identity (2023), and on Human-Centred Public Administrative Services (2024).
However, the challenge is no longer just to build these foundations, but to complete the systemic digital transformation of the state that will deliver real impact for people and businesses. The move away from siloed, project‑based digitalisation is under way, but governments need to go further in embedding whole‑of‑government approaches that prioritise user needs, data‑driven policymaking and platform‑based delivery models.
The next phase of digital government therefore requires a strong focus on delivery. Consistent with more mature digital governments, this means embedding digital, data and technology into everyday public sector operations – from budgeting and regulation to service design, procurement and policymaking – while adopting more iterative, agile and collaborative ways of working. It also requires aligning governance frameworks, skills and digital investments with the goal of achieving measurable improvements in outcomes for people and businesses.
This report – the first OECD Digital Government Outlook – provides a comprehensive and forward-looking assessment across 36 OECD Members and 8 accession candidate countries. Building on the findings of the 2025 OECD Digital Government Index and the Open, Useful and Re-usable Data (OURdata) Index, it examines both the advances made and gaps that remain and sets out the priorities for governments to translate digital ambition into tangible impact.