Digital Government Outlook 2026: Norway
Table of contents
This country note presents an overview of the digital government landscape in Norway 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 Norway in advancing a whole-of-government approach to digital transformation in the public sector.
In the 2025 edition of the OECD Digital Government Index, Norway attained a score of 0.83, above the OECD average of 0.70. This represents a 0.06 increase since 2023 (Figure 1).
Norway recorded higher scores in Proactiveness (0.92), Data-driven Public Sector (0.91), User-Driven (0.88), Government as a Platform (0.81) and Digital by Design (0.78), compared with OECD averages of 0.67, 0.74, 0.71, 0.71 and 0.75, respectively. These results show that Norway has advanced in anticipating user needs through proactive service design, leveraging data for public sector decision-making, and developing shared platforms for government-wide collaboration.
Norway scored above the OECD average in Open by Default (0.68 vs 0.59), though this remains its comparatively lowest dimension. This suggests that Norway could further strengthen its efforts in promoting the openness and transparency of government data and processes.
In the 2025 edition of the OECD OURdata Index, Norway attained a score of 0.72, above the OECD average of 0.53 (Figure 2). This represents a 0.08 increase since 2023.
Norway recorded higher scores in Data accessibility (0.88) and Data availability (0.66 vs 0.53), compared with OECD averages of 0.67 and 0.53, respectively. These results reflect Norway's strong performance in ensuring government data is accessible and in actively supporting its re-use through dedicated mechanisms.
Norway scored above the OECD average in Government support for data re-use (0.62 vs 0.40), though this remains its comparatively lowest pillar. This suggests that Norway could further improve the measures to promote the re-use of government data.
Norway has established a comprehensive digital government governance structure. The Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance and the Digitalisation Agency (Digdir) lead digital policy under the Digital Norway of the Future strategy. Co-ordination is ensured through Skate, a committee of government ICT officials, with external input from the Digitalisation Council.
Data quality in Norway is supported by a technically detailed national framework through the National Framework for Data Management. The DQV-AP-NO specification, maintained by Digdir, provides standardised methods for describing and exchanging dataset quality assessments. Based on the W3C Data Quality Vocabulary and adapted to Norwegian conditions, it supports quantifiable quality descriptions, free-text annotations, and conformity assessments across the Common Data Catalogue.
User needs are systematically measured across the service lifecycle in Norway. Digdir's Altinn Studio enables public bodies to design, test, and deploy user-friendly services collaboratively. The Life Events approach evaluates services across the full design and delivery cycle, supported by the national Citizen Survey and quality assessment methods such as the Helsenorge Method, which uses analytics and user feedback to improve health service content.
Norway conducts needs assessments and provides training across core digital skills, and work is underway on a dedicated public sector digital talent and skills action plan. The action plan was foreshadowed in the Digital Norway of the Future strategy and should be launched by the end of 2026.
Norway performs strongly in AI strategy, ethics, oversight and deployment, but its transparency framework could be further developed. Transparency instruments, such as disclosure standards for AI in decision-making, remain limited. Strengthening these could enhance public accountability and trust.
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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