Digital Government Outlook 2026: Portugal
Table of contents
This country note presents an overview of the digital government landscape in Portugal 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 Portugal in advancing a whole-of-government approach to digital transformation in the public sector.
In the 2025 edition of the OECD Digital Government Index, Portugal attained a score of 0.86, above the OECD average of 0.70. This represents a 0.22 increase since 2023 (Figure 1).
Portugal recorded higher scores in Digital by Design (0.96), User-Driven (0.94), Government as a Platform (0.93), Proactiveness (0.91) and Data-driven Public Sector (0.76), compared with OECD averages of 0.75, 0.71, 0.71, 0.67 and 0.74, respectively. These results show that Portugal has advanced in integrating digital technologies into government operations, designing services around user needs, and developing shared infrastructure and proactive approaches to service delivery.
Portugal scored above the OECD average in Open by Default (0.65 vs 0.59), though this remains its comparatively lowest-scoring dimension. This suggests that Portugal could further strengthen its efforts in promoting openness and transparency of government data and decision-making processes.
In the 2025 edition of the OECD OURdata Index, Portugal attained a score of 0.57, above the OECD average of 0.53 (Figure 2). This represents a 0.17 increase since 2023.
Portugal recorded a notably higher score in Data accessibility (0.82), above the OECD average of 0.67, and matched the OECD average in Government support for data re-use (0.40). These results reflect Portugal's strong efforts in ensuring that government datasets are accessible through open formats and well-documented metadata.
Portugal scored below the OECD average in Data availability (0.49 vs 0.53). This means that Portugal still has room for improvement in broadening the volume and scope of government datasets made available to the public.
Portugal has established a comprehensive digital government governance structure. The State Technological Reform Agency (ARTE) leads digital policy, guided by the ETDAP 2021–2026, the National Digital Strategy approved in 2024 and the 2026-2027 Action Plan. Co-ordination is ensured through ARTE, while the State Network for Simplification and Technologies, established in 2026, provides strategic oversight across the digital policy domain.
Evaluation of digital projects in Portugal follows a structured national approach. ARTE operates the e-avalia platform for monitoring and evaluation, while PLANAPP and the REPLAN interministerial network provide common tools and methodologies across the entire public administration. This framework ensures standardised monitoring, strategic alignment, and evidence-based assessment of digital transformation initiatives.
A comprehensive digital skills ecosystem supports the public sector workforce in Portugal. The INA Strategic Plan 2022–2026 and the AP 2026 Strategic Capacity Building Plan define training priorities aligned with public policy needs. These were complemented by the National Digital Skills Initiative INCoDe.2030, which has been integrated into ARTE, to promote digital competences as an enabler of employability and citizenship. The new Digital Skills Pact was launched in December 2025.
While Portugal performs well in data leadership and data protection, its data governance framework could be strengthened in systematic quality assurance. Assessments to evaluate the quality of data inventories and formal requirements for assigning data leadership to a specific institution are not yet fully in place. Developing these capabilities could enhance the strategic management of public sector data assets.
Portugal performs strongly across most dimensions of AI in government, but its transparency framework could be strengthened. A public disclosure mechanism for AI tools used in government decision-making remains limited. Establishing such instruments could strengthen accountability and public 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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