Data spaces have attracted substantial public and private investment as a means of enabling trusted data sharing among multiple parties, yet few have reached operational and financial viability. This report examines the novel use of data spaces where alternative data-sharing mechanisms are insufficient. To that end, it draws on evidence from 235 initiatives listed on the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) Radar (as of February 2026). In addition, it examines case studies of successful, on-track and failed data spaces, and highlights an OECD Expert Workshop held at the Data Spaces Symposium 2025 in Warsaw (Poland) on 11 March 2025.
The report focuses on three main areas. It identifies four boundary conditions that define the class of use cases for which data spaces hold a comparative advantage. It also analyses the bootstrapping challenge that helps explain much of the maturity and adoption gap. Finally, it sets out eight policy considerations for closing the gap between public investment, and the operational and financial viability of data spaces.
Through its analysis, the report clarifies where data spaces are structurally necessary and how they can become financially self-sustaining. In so doing, it contributes to the OECD's ongoing work on data flows, governance and privacy, including on data free flow with trust (DFFT). At the same time, it supports implementation of the OECD Recommendation on Enhancing Access to and Sharing of Data [OECD/LEGAL/0463].
This report benefitted from the input of the Working Party on Data Governance and Privacy of the Digital Policy Committee (DPC), as well as from the OECD DFFT Experts Community, including through the March 2025 OECD Expert Workshop and written comments on the draft. It was drafted by Christian Reimsbach-Kounatze, Senior Economist and Policy Analyst at the Data Policy, Privacy and Online Safety (DPPS) Division. The report also benefitted from the contributions of Shunya Muromachi, Policy Analyst, as well as feedback from Maiko Meguro, Senior Policy Analyst, under the supervision of Clarisse Girot (Head of the DPPS Division). The research and stakeholder engagement provided by Shihori Maeda, former Policy Analyst, is gratefully acknowledged. This work was made possible by the generous contributions of Japan.