Digital public infrastructure (DPI) is a key foundation for public service delivery, public sector efficiency and the broader digital economy. There are six key DPI components: digital identity, digital payments, data-sharing systems, digital post, digital notifications and base registries. Governments play a central role in designing, implementing and overseeing this infrastructure, as well as providing the underlying enablers, comprising open-source and interoperability frameworks, and standards for metadata and application programming interfaces (APIs).
The most widely adopted digital public infrastructure components are data-sharing systems, available in 28 out of 33 countries (85%) and digital identities, used by 24 out of 33 countries (73%). Base registry frameworks have been implemented in 21 out of 33 countries (64%), digital post in 19 out of 33 countries (58%), digital payments in 18 out of 33 countries (55%) and digital notifications in 17 out of 33 countries (52%). Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Korea and Latvia have implemented all six DPI components (Figure 7.4). Among the DPI enablers, interoperability frameworks have been adopted by 29 out of 33 OECD countries (88%). API standards have been adopted by 22 out of 33 countries (67%) metadata standards in 20 out of 33 countries (61%). Open-source frameworks are implemented in only 17 out of 33 countries (52%). Australia, Canada, Estonia, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have adopted all four enablers (Figure 7.4).
Digital identities play a key role in enabling secure and trusted digital interactions, including access to public services. Eighteen out of 33 OECD countries (55%) offer widespread access to public services through secure and user-friendly digital identity solutions, with at least 75% of services accessible using such a digital identity. Conversely, in 9 out of 33 countries (27%) less than half of services can be accessed in this way (Figure 7.5).
The spread of public services using digital identity solutions is reflected in the share of eligible populations actively using them. Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), along with Korea and the Netherlands, lead the way with more than 90% of their populations using a digital identity. This success is largely attributed to strong collaboration with the private sector, including banks. However, in about one-fifth of the countries with available information (5 out of 26), less than one-quarter of the population have adopted digital identity solutions, underscoring the challenges these countries face in implementing and scaling digital identities effectively across their populations (Figure 7.6).
