Government at a Glance 2025

Annex B. Methodology for the OECD Digital Government Index

The OECD Digital Government Index (DGI) assesses the efforts made by governments to establish the foundations necessary for a coherent and human-centred digital transformation of the public sector. It monitors the implementation of the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Digital Government Strategies (OECD, 2014[1]) and draws upon the long-standing work of the OECD advising governments to strategise with digital technologies and data for improved and joined-up public services and operations, as well as increased trust in public institutions, as outlined in the OECD Digital Government Policy Framework (DGPF) (OECD, 2020[2]). The framework frames the methodology and survey for the DGI across the six dimensions for digital maturity in the public sector:

• Digital by design: when a government establishes clear organisational leadership, paired with effective co-ordination and enforcement mechanisms where “digital” is considered not only as a technical topic, but as a mandatory transformative element to be embedded throughout policy processes.

• Data-driven public sector: when a government recognises and takes steps to govern data as a key strategic asset in generating public value through their application in the planning, delivering and monitoring of public policies, and adopts rules and ethical principles for their trustworthy and safe reuse.

• Government as a platform: when a government provides clear and transparent sources of guidelines, tools, data and software that equip teams to deliver user-driven, consistent, seamless, integrated, proactive and cross-sectoral service delivery.

• Open by default: when a government makes government data and policy-making processes (including algorithms) available for the public to engage with, within the limits of existing legislation and in balance with the national and public interest.

• User-driven: when a government becomes more user-driven by awarding a central role to people’ needs and convenience in the shaping of processes, services and policies; and by adopting inclusive mechanisms for this to happen.

• Proactiveness: when a government anticipates people’s needs and respond to them rapidly, avoiding the need for cumbersome data and service delivery processes.

Data collection and validation

The OECD Survey on Digital Government 2.0 serves as the data collection instrument of the 2023 DGI. It is composed of 94 questions covering each of the six dimensions of the DGPF together with four transversal facets that reflect the different stages of the policy cycle (Strategic approach, Policy levers, Implementation, and Monitoring). It includes questions designed to capture the evolving landscape of digital government, aligning this instrument with the priorities of the OECD Working Party of Senior Digital Government Officials (E-Leaders) and the conceptual policy work advanced by the Secretariat. These developments encompass governance of digital government (OECD, 2021[3]), digital talent and skills in the public sector (OECD, 2021[4]), service design and delivery in the digital age (OECD, 2022[5]), data-driven public sector (OECD, 2019[6]), digital public infrastructure and digital identity (OECD, 2024[7]), digital government investments (OECD, forthcoming[8]), impact measurement, GovTech (OECD, 2024[9]), AI in the public sector (OECD, 2024[10]), and open government data, based on the data collected through the OECD Survey on Open Government Data 5.0 (OECD, 2023[11]).

The Survey collected evidence from the central/federal level of government, covering all ministries and agencies, spanning the period from January 2020 to October 2022. Survey respondents comprised high-level digital government officials of 33 OECD member countries and 4 accession countries. The Survey was launched in November 2022 and closed in January 2023. A glossary of terms was sent to respondents to provide guidance on specific terminology.

Once the period of data collection was completed, country responses underwent a detailed data validation process designed to ensure the highest standards in data quality and accuracy. Country responses were reviewed to ensure internal consistency and to verify systematically that responses and supporting evidence corresponded to the respective question. A second round of data validation was conducted to ensure transversal consistency across survey sections and themes. For non-validated answers, countries were asked to provide clarification and further evidence, if applicable. The OECD Secretariat assessed the updated responses and evidence, validating or amending the responses with the underlying rationale and explanation. After this final round, each country officially approved their final responses for calculation.

Weighting and aggregation

The DGI is a composite index consisting of six equally weighted dimensions, corresponding to the six dimensions of the DGPF. Data points from the Survey (i.e., response options to specific questions) are used to populate these dimensions based on their thematic alignment with each dimension’s definition. The distribution of data points also ensures coverage across four transversal facets that reflect the stages of the policy cycle.

Each data point contributes a maximum number of points according to predefined maturity benchmarks, which are grounded in the OECD’s thematic conceptual frameworks. Dimension scores are calculated as the weighted average of all relevant data points within each dimension. The DGI composite score, representing overall digital government performance, is calculated by averaging the scores of all six dimensions. Figure ‎B.1 shows the weights of each dimension and their associated transversal facets.

Figure ‎B.1. OECD Digital Government Index: Dimensions, transversal facets and their corresponding weights

Source: Authors, based on (OECD, 2024[12]).

Statistical validation

The OECD DGI methodology has been calibrated based on a comprehensive statistical validation, encompassing correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, and sensitivity analysis (OECD, 2024[12]). The results of this validation have demonstrated the robustness and validity of the Index.

More information

Refer to OECD (2024[12]) for a more detailed analysis and methodology of the 2023 edition of the OECD Digital Government Index.

References

[12] OECD (2024), “2023 OECD Digital Government Index: Results and key findings”, OECD Public Governance Policy Papers, No. 44, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/1a89ed5e-en.

[7] OECD (2024), “Digital public infrastructure for digital governments”, OECD Public Governance Policy Papers, No. 68, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ff525dc8-en.

[9] OECD (2024), Enabling Digital Innovation in Government: The OECD GovTech Policy Framework, OECD Digital Government Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/a51eb9b2-en.

[10] OECD (2024), “Governing with Artificial Intelligence: Are governments ready?”, OECD Artificial Intelligence Papers, No. 20, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/26324bc2-en.

[11] OECD (2023), “2023 OECD Open, Useful and Re-usable data (OURdata) Index: Results and key findings”, OECD Public Governance Policy Papers, No. 43, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/a37f51c3-en.

[5] OECD (2022), “OECD Good Practice Principles for Public Service Design and Delivery in the Digital Age”, OECD Public Governance Policy Papers, No. 23, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/2ade500b-en.

[3] OECD (2021), The E-Leaders Handbook on the Governance of Digital Government, OECD Digital Government Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ac7f2531-en.

[4] OECD (2021), “The OECD Framework for digital talent and skills in the public sector”, OECD Working Papers on Public Governance, No. 45, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/4e7c3f58-en.

[2] OECD (2020), “The OECD Digital Government Policy Framework: Six dimensions of a Digital Government”, OECD Public Governance Policy Papers, No. 02, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/f64fed2a-en.

[6] OECD (2019), The Path to Becoming a Data-Driven Public Sector, OECD Digital Government Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/059814a7-en.

[1] OECD (2014), “Recommendation of the Council on Digital Government Strategies”, Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate, Vol. July.

[8] OECD (forthcoming), Effectively Managing Investments in Digital Government: OECD Digital Government Investments Framework.