Digital Government Outlook 2026: Croatia
Table of contents
This country note presents an overview of the digital government landscape in Croatia drawing on the results of the 2025 OECD Digital Government Index (DGI) and the 2025 OECD OURdata Index. The note outlines key policy developments in the country observed during the assessment period. It aims to inform policy dialogue and support Croatia in advancing a whole-of-government approach to digital transformation in the public sector.
In the 2025 edition of the OECD Digital Government Index, Croatia attained a score of 0.35, below the OECD average of 0.70. This represents a 0.01 decrease since 2023 (Figure 1).
Croatia recorded its strongest performance in Data-driven Public Sector (0.58) and Digital by Design (0.46), though both remain below OECD averages of 0.74 and 0.75, respectively. These results suggest that Croatia faces broad challenges in advancing its digital government agenda.
Lower scores were recorded in Proactiveness (0.06 vs 0.67) and Open by Default (0.23 vs 0.59). This suggests that Croatia has significant room for improvement in anticipating user needs through proactive service design and in promoting the openness and transparency of government data and processes.
In the 2025 edition of the OECD OURdata Index, Croatia attained a score of 0.45, below the OECD average of 0.53 (Figure 2). This represents a 0.07 increase since 2023.
Croatia recorded a score equal to the OECD average in Data accessibility (0.67 vs 0.67). This reflects Croatia's efforts in ensuring that government datasets are accessible through open formats and metadata standards.
Croatia scored below the OECD average in Data availability (0.44 vs 0.53) and Government support for data re-use (0.24 vs 0.40). This means that Croatia has room for improvement in broadening the range of available datasets and in strengthening mechanisms to promote data re-use.
Croatia has established a public sector data strategy through its national Open Data Policy, in force during 2023–2024. First adopted in 2018, the policy provides a framework for opening, managing, and re-using public sector data, with objectives to increase transparency, innovation, and re-use of government information.
Digital skills needs in Croatia’s public sector have been assessed through a structured policy process. The Digital Croatia Strategy 2032 and the National Public Administration Development Plan 2022–2027 used DESI-based diagnostics and a competency-framework approach to identify gaps in civil servants' digital skills, ICT specialist shortages, and training needs. These assessments inform targeted measures including e-learning, hybrid-work skills development, and digital-skills initiatives for public officials.
Mandatory service design standards are set out in Croatia’s E-Standards (e-Standardi). Published by the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, these standards provide whole-of-government guidelines for usability, accessibility, interoperability, and information security in digital public service delivery.
Croatia's AI framework presents significant opportunities for development. A national AI strategy, ethical instruments, transparency mechanisms, oversight bodies, and documented AI deployment in government are not yet in place. Developing a comprehensive AI governance framework could support responsible adoption and strengthen public accountability.
Significant scope remains to further develop Croatia’s digital investment framework. A standardised value proposition model, ex-post cost-benefit analysis, impact evaluation methodology, GovTech strategy, project management model, and risk assessments are not yet in place. Developing these capabilities could support more strategic oversight of digital investments.
The OECD Digital Government Outlook (DGO) provides a comprehensive assessment of digital government policies across OECD Members and accession candidate countries. It draws on the results of the 2025 OECD Digital Government Index (DGI) and the 2025 OECD Open, Useful and Re-usable Data (OURdata) Index to evaluate progress and identify persistent gaps in digital transformation across the public sector.
The DGI assesses the enabling foundations for digital transformation across six dimensions: Digital by Design, Data-driven Public Sector, Government as a Platform, Open by Default, User-Driven and Proactiveness. Rather than measuring the digitalisation of specific services, the DGI focuses on the strategies, policy levers, implementation practices and monitoring mechanisms that enable coherent, whole-of-government digital transformation.
The OURdata Index benchmarks the robustness of open government data policies across three pillars: data availability, data accessibility and government support for data re-use. It supports policymakers in monitoring the design and implementation of national open government data policies.
Both indices were developed with OECD Member countries through the OECD Working Party of Senior Digital Government Officials (E-Leaders) and approved by the OECD Public Governance Committee.
Figure 1: The 2025 DGI OECD average does not include Germany and the United States. 2025 data cover the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024. The 2023 OECD average does not include Germany, Greece, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States. 2023 data cover the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 October 2022. The composite score is the unweighted average of the six-dimension scores.
Figure 2: The 2025 and 2023 OURdata Index OECD average does not include Denmark, Hungary and the United States. 2025 data cover the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024. 2023 data cover the period from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021. The composite score is the unweighted average of the three-pillar scores.
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The full book is available in English: OECD (2026), Digital Government Outlook 2026: From Foundations to Transformational Impact, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/0496b2bc-en.
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