Saudi Arabia ranks second in World Bank's Digital Government Maturity Index
In December 2025, Saudi Arabia ranked second out of 197 countries in the
World Bank’s Digital Government Maturity Index. This follows the Kingdom’s
impressive sixth-place ranking in the UN Digital Government Development Index
in 2024, which assesses 193 nations. A key goal of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030
was to secure a place among the top five nations in digital government—and with
these recent achievements, it's clear that the Kingdom is on the cusp of
realizing that goal.
Saudi Arabia has nearly reached its target, as
evidenced by its remarkable results across global indices. Notably, it holds
the top spot in the ESCWA (Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia)
index, which includes 18 countries from West Asia and North Africa.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained a leadership position in
the World Bank’s index.
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Perhaps the most striking improvement has been
Saudi Arabia’s dramatic rise in the UN Digital Government Development Index,
where the Kingdom surged 46 places—from 52nd to 6th—between 2018 and 2024, a
leap that coincides with the launch of Vision 2030.
What stands out, particularly for Saudi
experts, is that these international indices track services that remain
inaccessible to 31 percent of the global population—around 2.5 billion people.
A 2025 study presented by the Kingdom’s Communications, Space and Technology
Commission at the World Telecommunication Regulatory Conference in Riyadh
highlighted that bridging this digital divide could require investments upwards
of $2.8 trillion. Given Saudi Arabia’s early recognition of this challenge, it
is well-positioned to lead an international initiative with clear solutions to
address it.
In terms of governance, Saudi Arabia has made
significant strides in streamlining its digital platforms. In 2022, the country
required 816 platforms to deliver a single service, but by 2024, this number
was reduced to 590. These platforms currently offer 4,600 government services,
with plans to further consolidate them. By 2028, Saudi Arabia will operate 20
sectoral platforms across all ministries, offering integrated services such as
Najiz (justice), Absher (interior), Etimad (finance), and the "Life
Experiences" program, which aims to simplify the citizen journey by
unifying service delivery across multiple ministries.
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One standout innovation is the Saudi Data and
AI Authority’s foresight platform, a national data repository that supports
data-driven decision-making. The Kingdom’s digital government services have
already produced tangible results. For example, digital platforms have reduced
the need for 18 million annual visits to Ministry of Justice courts and cut
litigation times from an average of 219 days to just 30 days in most cases.
Similarly, the Ministry of Interior’s digital services have resulted in 160
million fewer visits, saving approximately SR17 billion ($4.5 billion).
Healthcare services have also benefited from
digital transformation. The Ministry of Health’s virtual hospital network,
which connects 250 hospitals across Saudi Arabia, provides over 200 services
and has converted 25 percent of medical appointments to a virtual model. Remote
surgeries, including open-heart procedures, are now possible via this system.
These innovations have placed Saudi Arabia ahead of countries like Denmark, the
UK, the US, France, and South Korea in terms of digital government offerings.
The success of Saudi Arabia’s digital
government program accelerated with the establishment of a dedicated authority
in 2021, which is now a core part of the Kingdom’s digital economy. This sector
contributes 14 percent to Saudi Arabia’s GDP. In 2023, the government allocated
SR20 billion annually to communications and information technology, with the
bulk of this funding directed to digital services, including hardware. However,
68 percent of these services are still imported, underscoring the need for
further localization efforts.
Saudi Arabia has developed four key local
indicators to track digital government progress: the transformation of
government agencies, the alignment of government services with digital
maturity, the readiness of agencies to adopt future technologies like drones,
AI, and blockchain, and the efficiency of government search engines to increase
online presence. While many reports highlight the best-performing agencies in
these areas, there is often little transparency about the weaker performers,
which could help improve overall efficiency by addressing resistance to change.
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As
the Kingdom continues to make strides in digital government, Vision 2030’s
success is becoming ever more evident—not only through rankings and milestones
but also through tangible improvements in the lives of its citizens.
Source: Arab
News
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