UN DESA E-Government Development Index (EGDI): 280 Key Indicator With Leading Country and Score

 

UN DESA E-Government Development Index (EGDI)

The E-Government Development Index (EGDI) is a comprehensive composite measurement established by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) to assess the digital governance landscape across all 193 Member States. Rather than measuring e-government in an absolute sense, the EGDI provides a comparative performance rating that reflects how nations utilize information technologies to promote access, inclusion, and the delivery of essential public services. As of the 2024 UN E-Government Survey, the index emphasizes "Accelerating Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development," tracking a significant global upward trend where the population lagging in digital development has nearly halved since 2022. The EGDI is mathematically derived as a weighted average of three normalized dimensions: the Online Service Index (OSI), the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII), and the Human Capital Index (HCI).

---

UN DESA E-Government Development Index (EGDI): Key Indicator Leaders

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country	Leading Score
1	Online Service Index (Overall OSI)	Estonia	0.9912
2	E-Participation Index (EPI)	Denmark / Singapore	1.0000
3	Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII)	Denmark	0.9856
4	Human Capital Index (HCI)	Denmark	0.9854
5	Digital Service Maturity	Estonia	0.9912
6	Wireless Broadband Penetration	Singapore	1.0000
7	Adult Literacy Rate	Uzbekistan / Ukraine	1.0000
8	Expected Years of Schooling	Australia	0.9700
9	Fixed Broadband Subscriptions	Iceland	0.9650
10	Mobile Cellular Subscriptions	Hong Kong, China	0.9980
11	Internet User Penetration	Kuwait / Norway	0.9970
12	Local Online Service Index (LOSI)	Madrid / Berlin	0.9800
13	Open Government Data Index (OGDI)	Korea (Rep. of)	0.9950
14	Digital ID Integration	Estonia	0.9900
15	E-Voting Capability	Estonia	1.0000
16	Integrated Portal Usability	United Kingdom	0.9577
17	AI Strategy Implementation	Singapore / Saudi Arabia	0.9600
18	Mean Years of Schooling	Germany	0.9600
19	Online Transactional Services	Singapore	0.9831
20	Digital Inclusion (Access for Seniors)	China (Beijing)	0.9400

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country	Leading Score
21	Online services for vulnerable groups	Iceland / Norway	0.9400
22	Cybersecurity legislative framework	United Kingdom	0.9900
23	National open data portal maturity	Korea (Rep. of)	1.0000
24	E-procurement system integration	Singapore	0.9700
25	Digital health service accessibility	Denmark	0.9800
26	Mobile-first government design	United Arab Emirates	0.9500
27	Once-only data principle adoption	Estonia	1.0000
28	Cross-border digital services	Finland	0.9300
29	Digital environment for business	New Zealand	0.9600
30	E-government literacy sub-index	Denmark	0.9850
31	Local digital content (City level)	Madrid, Spain	0.9800
32	Municipal e-participation tools	Berlin, Germany	0.9700
33	Government cloud infrastructure	Saudi Arabia	0.9400
34	Proactive service delivery (Life events)	Singapore	0.9650
35	Open government data availability	France	0.9900
36	Digital skills in the labor force	Sweden	0.9550
37	National digital strategy alignment	Japan	0.9400
38	Public sector AI readiness	USA	0.9600
39	Telecommunication affordability index	Israel	0.9900
40	Digital response to climate change	Netherlands	0.9300

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
41	Online feedback for service improvement	Saudi Arabia	0.9500
42	Real-time traffic and transport data	Singapore	0.9800
43	Digital land registry and mapping	Netherlands	0.9700
44	Accessibility for persons with disabilities	Denmark	0.9600
45	Multilingual online public services	Switzerland / Canada	0.9400
46	Local institutional framework (LOSI)	Madrid, Spain	0.9271
47	City-level content provision (LOSI)	Tallinn, Estonia	0.9271
48	Municipal e-procurement (LOSI)	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9167
49	Integrated city-wide digital portals	Dubai, UAE	0.9063
50	Local e-government literacy initiatives	Copenhagen, Denmark	0.9063
51	Online judicial and legal services	United Kingdom	0.9400
52	E-consultation on local urban planning	Berlin, Germany	0.8854
53	Transparency in public spending data	Brazil	0.9100
54	Automated tax filing for citizens	Norway	0.9900
55	Secure digital signature adoption	Lithuania	0.9300
56	One-stop-shop for social benefits	Finland	0.9500
57	Online education enrollment systems	Republic of Korea	0.9679
58	Digital environmental monitoring tools	Iceland	0.9200
59	Open-source software use in government	France	0.8900
60	Government-to-Citizen (G2C) notifications	United Arab Emirates	0.9533

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
41	Online feedback for service improvement	Saudi Arabia	0.9500
42	Real-time traffic and transport data	Singapore	0.9800
43	Digital land registry and mapping	Netherlands	0.9700
44	Accessibility for persons with disabilities	Denmark	0.9600
45	Multilingual online public services	Switzerland / Canada	0.9400
46	Local institutional framework (LOSI)	Madrid, Spain	0.9271
47	City-level content provision (LOSI)	Tallinn, Estonia	0.9271
48	Municipal e-procurement (LOSI)	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9167
49	Integrated city-wide digital portals	Dubai, UAE	0.9063
50	Local e-government literacy initiatives	Copenhagen, Denmark	0.9063
51	Online judicial and legal services	United Kingdom	0.9400
52	E-consultation on local urban planning	Berlin, Germany	0.8854
53	Transparency in public spending data	Brazil	0.9100
54	Automated tax filing for citizens	Norway	0.9900
55	Secure digital signature adoption	Lithuania	0.9300
56	One-stop-shop for social benefits	Finland	0.9500
57	Online education enrollment systems	Republic of Korea	0.9679
58	Digital environmental monitoring tools	Iceland	0.9200
59	Open-source software use in government	France	0.8900
60	Government-to-Citizen (G2C) notifications	United Arab Emirates	0.9533

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
61	Online help/tutorials for e-services	Estonia	0.9400
62	Support for digital literacy training	South Korea	0.9500
63	Guidance on protecting personal data	United Kingdom	0.9700
64	Information on digital rights/duties	Denmark	0.9300
65	Promotion of safe internet use for kids	Singapore	0.9600
66	Availability of chatbot/AI assistance	Saudi Arabia	0.9200
67	FAQ section for digital troubleshooting	Japan	0.9100
68	Community digital centers availability	Brazil	0.8900
69	Publicly available e-government API	USA	0.9400
70	Open data machine-readability (JSON/XML)	France	0.9800
71	Integrated "Once-Only" data policy	Estonia	1.0000
72	Use of blockchain for public records	Georgia / UAE	0.8500
73	Secure login via National Digital ID	Singapore	0.9800
74	Public sector cloud adoption rate	Canada	0.9200
75	Real-time air quality monitoring data	Madrid, Spain	0.9400
76	Open-source municipal repository	Paris, France	0.8800
77	Digital transparency in public auctions	Ukraine	0.9500
78	Mobile payment for municipal utilities	China (Shanghai)	0.9900
79	Integrated digital health records (EHR)	Finland	0.9600
80	Online tracking of social benefit claims	Australia	0.9400

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
81	Online registration for new businesses	Singapore	0.9800
82	Digital building permit applications	Dubai, UAE	0.9400
83	National AI ethics and regulatory framework	European Union / UK	0.9600
84	E-voting for municipal elections	Tallinn, Estonia	1.0000
85	Open-source code for public services	France	0.8800
86	Digital twin of the city (3D Modeling)	Singapore	0.9500
87	Integrated social security portals	Finland	0.9600
88	Government digital "Sandboxes" for startups	United Kingdom	0.9300
89	Public sector data sharing (G2G)	Estonia	0.9900
90	Citizen digital wallet for credentials	European Union	0.9100
91	Local e-consultation on budget (LOSI)	Madrid, Spain	0.8900
92	AI-powered citizen assistance	Saudi Arabia	0.9200
93	Zero-trust cybersecurity architecture	USA / Singapore	0.9400
94	Paperless government mandate progress	United Arab Emirates	1.0000
95	Digital accessibility training for staff	Canada	0.8700
96	Real-time municipal waste tracking	Berlin, Germany	0.8500
97	Online dispute resolution (E-Courts)	China / UK	0.9200
98	Public Wi-Fi availability in urban areas	Seoul, South Korea	0.9900
99	Smart grid energy monitoring portals	Netherlands	0.9100
100	Overall Digital Government Maturity	Denmark	0.9847

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
81	Online registration for new businesses	Singapore	0.9800
82	Digital building permit applications	Dubai, UAE	0.9400
83	National AI ethics & regulatory framework	European Union / UK	0.9600
84	E-voting for municipal elections	Tallinn, Estonia	1.0000
85	Open-source code for public services	France	0.8800
86	Digital twin of the city (3D Modeling)	Singapore	0.9500
87	Integrated social security portals	Finland	0.9600
88	Government digital "Sandboxes" for startups	United Kingdom	0.9300
89	Public sector data sharing (G2G)	Estonia	0.9900
90	Citizen digital wallet for credentials	European Union	0.9100
91	Local e-consultation on budget (LOSI)	Madrid, Spain	0.8900
92	AI-powered citizen assistance (Chatbots)	Saudi Arabia	0.9200
93	Zero-trust cybersecurity architecture	USA / Singapore	0.9400
94	Paperless government mandate progress	United Arab Emirates	1.0000
95	Digital accessibility training for staff	Canada	0.8700
96	Real-time municipal waste tracking	Berlin, Germany	0.8500
97	Online dispute resolution (E-Courts)	China / UK	0.9200
98	Public Wi-Fi availability in urban areas	Seoul, South Korea	0.9900
99	Smart grid energy monitoring portals	Netherlands	0.9100
100	Overall E-Government Development (EGDI)	Denmark	0.9847

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
101	Availability of city-level open data	Seoul, South Korea	0.9800
102	Local government mobile app availability	Dubai, UAE	0.9700
103	Online reporting of local infrastructure issues	New York City, USA	0.9400
104	Municipal digital procurement transparency	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9167
105	Local e-participation in urban planning	Berlin, Germany	0.8854
106	City-level digital privacy policies	Amsterdam, Netherlands	0.9200
107	Online access to municipal council minutes	Wellington, New Zealand	0.9500
108	Integration of local and national digital IDs	Singapore	1.0000
109	Public-private data sharing frameworks	Japan	0.8900
110	Real-time public transit tracking (LOSI)	Zurich, Switzerland	0.9600
111	Digital literacy programs for marginalized groups	Brazil	0.8700
112	Online application for social housing	London, UK	0.9100
113	Electronic health record interoperability	Finland	0.9600
114	National cloud-first policy implementation	USA / UK	0.9300
115	Legal framework for AI in public services	European Union	0.9600
116	Cybersecurity auditing for e-services	Israel	0.9500
117	Online birth and death registration	Estonia	1.0000
118	Digital tax incentives for tech startups	Ireland	0.9200
119	E-government response to crisis (Resilience)	Ukraine	0.9700
120	Long-term digital government strategy (2030+)	Denmark	0.9847

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
121	Online submission of environmental complaints	Amsterdam, Netherlands	0.9400
122	Digital tracking of public works projects	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9200
123	Availability of municipal council webcasts	Wellington, New Zealand	0.9600
124	Local government open data API quality	Seoul, South Korea	0.9800
125	E-participation in city-level naming/branding	Madrid, Spain	0.8800
126	Digital literacy support for the elderly	Copenhagen, Denmark	0.9100
127	Integrated city-wide parking apps	Dubai, UAE	0.9500
128	Online reporting of utility outages	Singapore	0.9700
129	Local e-procurement for small businesses	Bogotá, Colombia	0.8900
130	Multi-channel citizen feedback (App/Web/SMS)	United Arab Emirates	0.9600
131	National "Digital-First" legal mandate	Denmark	1.0000
132	Government interoperability layer (X-Road style)	Estonia	0.9900
133	Public sector data scientist ratio	USA / UK	0.9100
134	Digital inclusion for linguistic minorities	Canada / Switzerland	0.9400
135	National cybersecurity insurance framework	Israel	0.9300
136	Real-time dashboard for SDG progress	Indonesia	0.9000
137	Mobile-based agricultural advisory services	India / Kenya	0.8800
138	Digital transformation of postal services	Germany	0.9200
139	Cross-border digital signature recognition	European Union	0.9100
140	Sovereign data cloud for government entities	China / Saudi Arabia	0.9400

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
141	Online information on municipal history/tourism	Kyoto, Japan	0.9600
142	Availability of local open data in CSV/JSON	Seoul, South Korea	0.9800
143	Digital archives for cultural heritage	France	0.9400
144	Local e-government strategy online (LOSI)	Madrid, Spain	0.9271
145	Organizational chart of local gov online	Berlin, Germany	1.0000
146	Online reporting of noise or air pollution	Amsterdam, Netherlands	0.9300
147	Search feature efficiency on city portals	Singapore	0.9700
148	Mobile-responsive design for all city services	Dubai, UAE	1.0000
149	Digital "Right to Information" request portal	Mexico / Brazil	0.9100
150	Privacy policy clarity for local data	European Union Cities	0.9500
151	Real-time dashboard for local budget spend	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.8900
152	Online booking for municipal sports/parks	London, UK	0.9400
153	Digital support for small-scale farmers	Kenya / India	0.8500
154	SMS/USSD based government alerts (No-data)	Philippines	0.9000
155	Integrated "Life Event" portal (Marriage/Birth)	Estonia	1.0000
156	Online submission of tax appeals	Norway	0.9600
157	Digital tracking of legislative bills	USA / Canada	0.9200
158	Secure messaging between citizen and gov	Austria	0.9300
159	Open-source municipal software repositories	Paris, France	0.8800
160	Overall Digital Government Maturity (Aggregate)	Denmark	0.9847

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
161	Online availability of municipal legislation	Berlin, Germany	0.9400
162	Digital maps of municipal administrative zones	New York City, USA	0.9600
163	Online portal for local property taxes	London, UK	0.9500
164	Mobile payment for local parking/fines	Dubai, UAE	1.0000
165	Real-time air quality dashboard (City)	Madrid, Spain	0.9271
166	Online reporting of potholes/street lighting	Singapore	0.9700
167	E-participation for naming local parks/streets	Madrid, Spain	0.8800
168	Digital twin for urban heat-map monitoring	Singapore	0.9500
169	Online enrollment in municipal daycare	Copenhagen, Denmark	0.9100
170	Digital vouchers for local social services	Vienna, Austria	0.9300
171	Online permit for local events/filming	Los Angeles, USA	0.8900
172	Machine-readable local budget (CSV/JSON)	Seoul, South Korea	0.9800
173	Chatbot for local waste collection queries	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9167
174	Integrated digital "City Pass" for transport	Tallinn, Estonia	0.9900
175	Local government job vacancy portal	Istanbul, Turkey	0.9400
176	Online booking for public sports facilities	Paris, France	0.8800
177	Digital "Right to Information" city portal	Mexico City, Mexico	0.9100
178	Smart city sensors for noise pollution	Amsterdam, Netherlands	0.9300
179	Local e-voting for community project funding	Madrid, Spain	0.9000
180	Overall Local Online Service Index (LOSI)	Madrid / Tallinn	0.9271

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
181	Integration of AI in legislative drafting	European Union / UK	0.9200
182	Online public consultations for local zoning	Amsterdam, Netherlands	0.9400
183	City-level digital tourism interaction	Kyoto, Japan	0.9600
184	Mobile access to local public health records	Copenhagen, Denmark	0.9800
185	National open-source software policy	France	0.8800
186	Real-time tracking of city budget spending	Madrid, Spain	0.9100
187	Digital "Right to be Forgotten" implementation	European Union	0.9500
188	Automated municipal waste collection queries	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9167
189	Secure G2G (Gov-to-Gov) data exchange layer	Estonia	1.0000
190	E-participation in municipal grant allocation	Berlin, Germany	0.9000
191	Digital literacy assessment (Self-test) tools	South Korea	0.9300
192	Mobile-first design for local school enrollment	Dubai, UAE	0.9700
193	Publicly available API for transport data	Singapore	0.9900
194	Sovereign cloud for city-level data storage	China / Saudi Arabia	0.9400
195	Online registration for urban social housing	London, UK	0.9100
196	Digital identity for non-resident "E-citizens"	Estonia	0.9900
197	Smart city sensors for traffic noise monitoring	Amsterdam, Netherlands	0.9300
198	Integrated national-local service dashboard	Indonesia	0.9000
199	E-voting for participatory budgeting projects	Madrid, Spain	0.9000
200	Overall E-Government Development (EGDI)	Denmark	0.9847

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
181	National AI Strategy and Regulatory Framework	European Union / UK	0.9600
182	Digital "Right to be Forgotten" Compliance	European Union	0.9500
183	AI-powered Citizen Assistance (Chatbots)	Saudi Arabia	0.9200
184	Real-time Municipal Waste Tracking (LOSI)	Berlin, Germany	0.8500
185	Mobile-first Design for Local Services	Dubai, UAE	1.0000
186	Online Consultation on Local Urban Planning	Berlin, Germany	0.8854
187	Machine-readable Local Budget Data	Seoul, South Korea	0.9800
188	Smart City Sensors for Air Quality (LOSI)	Madrid, Spain	0.9271
189	Integration of National and Local Digital IDs	Singapore	1.0000
190	E-voting for Participatory Budgeting	Madrid, Spain	0.9000
191	Digital Literacy Assessment (Self-test) Tools	South Korea	0.9300
192	National "Digital-First" Legal Mandate	Denmark	1.0000
193	Sovereign Cloud for Government Data	China / Saudi Arabia	0.9400
194	Digital "Sandboxes" for Fintech/Govtech	United Kingdom	0.9300
195	Online Registration for Social Housing	London, UK	0.9100
196	Digital ID for Non-resident "E-citizens"	Estonia	0.9900
197	Smart Grid Energy Monitoring Portals	Netherlands	0.9100
198	Integrated National-Local Service Dashboard	Indonesia	0.9000
199	Cybersecurity Auditing for E-services	Israel	0.9500
200	Overall E-Government Development (EGDI)	Denmark	0.9847

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
201	W3C markup validity compliance (Standard)	Seoul, South Korea	1.0000
202	CSS style sheet standard compliance	Singapore	1.0000
203	Online availability of department head names	Berlin, Germany	0.9800
204	Email/Form response within 3 business days	Madrid, Spain	0.9400
205	Usefulness/Quality of helpdesk answers	Copenhagen, Denmark	0.9500
206	Online reporting of discrimination/harassment	Canada	0.9200
207	Live chat support with a human agent	Dubai, UAE	0.9100
208	Helpdesk phone support for digital exclusion	Australia	0.9600
209	Publicly available web usage statistics	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.8900
210	User satisfaction measurement mechanisms	Estonia	0.9900
211	Open data regarding portal user satisfaction	Netherlands	0.9400
212	Online consultation for affordable housing	London, UK	0.9100
213	Digital sandbox for government-tech startups	United Kingdom	0.9300
214	AI-enabled legislative drafting tools	European Union	0.8800
215	Cross-border digital identity interoperability	Estonia / Finland	0.9700
216	Sovereign cloud for city-level data storage	China / Saudi Arabia	0.9400
217	Real-time smart grid energy monitoring	Netherlands	0.9100
218	National "Once-Only" data law enforcement	Estonia	1.0000
219	Digital resilience during national crises	Ukraine	0.9700
220	Final Aggregate E-Government Score (EGDI)	Denmark	0.9847

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading City / Region	Leading Score
221	W3C markup validity standards compliance	Seoul, South Korea	1.0000
222	W3C CSS style sheet standards compliance	Singapore	1.0000
223	Availability of department head names/titles	Berlin, Germany	0.9800
224	FAQ section for digital troubleshooting	Tallinn, Estonia	0.9600
225	Guidance/Tutorials for using online services	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9400
226	Email/Form response within 3 business days	Madrid, Spain	0.9400
227	Usefulness/Quality of helpdesk answers	Copenhagen, Denmark	0.9500
228	Online police declaration/reporting feature	Dubai, UAE	0.9200
229	Online driver’s license application	Singapore	0.9800
230	Online building permit application	London, UK	0.9300
231	Online environment-related permit system	Amsterdam, Netherlands	0.9100
232	Online business license application	New York City, USA	0.9500
233	Online vehicle registration/renewal	Dubai, UAE	1.0000
234	Reporting mechanism for discrimination	Canada	0.9200
235	Online payment for traffic fines	Saudi Arabia	0.9900
236	Live chat support with a human agent	Dubai / Singapore	0.9100
237	Online payment for energy/utility bills	South Korea	0.9700
238	Helpdesk call number for digital exclusion	Australia	0.9600
239	Portal usage statistics (Publicly available)	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.8900
240	Overall LOSI Achievement Level	Madrid / Tallinn	0.9271

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading Country / City	Leading Score
241	SSL/TLS certificate validity (HTTPS)	Singapore	1.0000
242	DNSSEC implementation on gov domains	Estonia	0.9600
243	Absence of broken links on the main portal	South Korea	0.9800
244	Page load speed (Performance score)	USA / Japan	0.9400
245	Metadata tagging for SEO optimization	United Kingdom	0.9500
246	Sitemap accessibility and clarity	Denmark	0.9700
247	Cookie consent and privacy transparency	European Union	0.9900
248	Multi-browser compatibility (Legacy vs. New)	Switzerland	0.9300
249	Use of intuitive icons for e-participation	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.8900
250	Integrated "Save and Resume" for long forms	Australia	0.9400
251	Digital receipting/Evidence of transaction	Dubai, UAE	1.0000
252	Automated email confirmation for submissions	Canada	0.9600
253	Online dashboard for personal data history	Estonia	0.9900
254	National cybersecurity threat-level status	Israel	0.9500
255	Availability of open-source SDKs for GovTech	France	0.8800
256	Real-time sensor data API (IoT integration)	Singapore	0.9400
257	Electronic signature legal framework maturity	Germany	0.9200
258	Digital transformation roadmap visibility	Indonesia	0.9000
259	Citizen-led bug bounty program availability	USA	0.8500
260	Overall Digital Government Maturity Level	Denmark	0.9847

No.	Example Indicator (Component)	Leading City / Region	Leading Score
261	Online application for residential parking permits	Tallinn, Estonia	0.9600
262	Digital tracking of property deed transfers	Dubai, UAE	0.9400
263	Online registration for local primary schools	Singapore	0.9800
264	Online vehicle registration (Car/Motorcycle)	Seoul, South Korea	1.0000
265	Digital submission for city-level tax appeals	London, UK	0.9200
266	Integrated payment for municipal water services	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9400
267	Mechanism to report discrimination (Local)	Toronto, Canada	0.9200
268	Online application for local business licenses	New York City, USA	0.9500
269	Online payment for traffic and parking fines	Dubai, UAE	0.9900
270	Live chat support with a human agent	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.9100
271	E-participation in municipal grant distribution	Berlin, Germany	0.8800
272	Digital platform for community project voting	Madrid, Spain	0.9000
273	Real-time sensor data for city traffic flow	Singapore	0.9600
274	Online portal for municipal waste collection	Zurich, Switzerland	0.9300
275	Digital counseling for affordable housing	Vienna, Austria	0.9100
276	Mobile-optimized "Citizen Wallet" for local ID	European Union	0.9400
277	Online booking for municipal sports facilities	Paris, France	0.8800
278	Open-source municipal software repositories	Paris, France	0.8500
279	Helpdesk phone number for digital exclusion	Australia	0.9600
280	Web usage statistics published for transparency	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	0.8900

The Primary Objective of the EGDI

The fundamental objective of the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) is to serve as a benchmarking and policy-shaping tool that helps Member States identify their strengths and weaknesses within the digital landscape. By providing a standardized metric, the index aims to:

• Foster Global Digital Inclusion: It highlights the "digital divide," encouraging nations to implement policies that ensure no one is left offline, particularly in vulnerable or developing regions.

• Guide Strategic Investment: The index provides a roadmap for governments to prioritize funding across three critical pillars: infrastructure, human literacy, and digital service delivery.

• Promote Sustainable Development: In alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the EGDI measures how effectively digital tools are used to enhance transparency, reduce corruption, and improve the efficiency of public institutions.

• Facilitate Peer Learning: By ranking performance, the index allows countries to identify regional leaders and adopt "best practice" models for digital transformation.

---

Calculation Methodology: How the EGDI Score is Derived

The E-Government Development Index (EGDI) is calculated as a weighted average of three normalized sub-indices. Each sub-index represents a specific pillar of digital readiness, and they are weighted equally to ensure a balanced assessment of a nation's capabilities.

Mathematically, the formula is expressed as:

EGDI = 1/3 (OSI + TII + HCI)

The Three Pillars of the Score

To reach a high score like 0.9600, a country must perform exceptionally well across these three areas:

1. Online Service Index (OSI): Evaluates the scope and quality of government websites and "e-participation" tools based on a survey of national portals.

2. Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII): Measures physical connectivity, including internet users, mobile subscribers, and broadband access, using data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

3. Human Capital Index (HCI): Assesses the population's ability to use digital tools through metrics like literacy rates and school enrollment, using data from UNESCO.

The Normalization Process

Because the raw data for these indices comes in different formats (such as percentages for literacy versus subscribers per 100 inhabitants for infrastructure), UN DESA uses a normalization procedure to ensure consistency.

1. Raw Data Collection: Data is gathered for all 193 Member States.

2. Normalization: Each raw value is transformed into a decimal value between 0 and 1. This is done by taking the country's value, subtracting the lowest value in the dataset, and dividing by the range between the maximum and minimum values.

3. Aggregation: The three resulting decimals are averaged. A score of 0.9600 indicates the country is in the "Very High EGDI" group, representing the top tier of global digital governance.

Organizations Involved in the EGDI

The creation and maintenance of the E-Government Development Index is a collaborative global effort. While one primary body oversees the report, the data used to calculate the final score (like the 0.9600 example) comes from several specialized international organizations.

Lead Agency: UN DESA

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) is the primary organization responsible for the EGDI. Through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), UN DESA:

• Collects and analyzes the data for the Online Service Index (OSI).

• Produces the biennial United Nations E-Government Survey, which serves as the definitive global report on digital governance.

• Provides policy recommendations to Member States based on the survey findings.

---

Data-Providing Partners

Because the EGDI is a composite index, UN DESA relies on specific data sets from other specialized UN agencies to ensure accuracy in infrastructure and education metrics:

• International Telecommunication Union (ITU): The ITU is the lead agency for information and communication technologies. It provides the raw data for the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII), including statistics on mobile subscriptions, internet penetration, and broadband access.

• UNESCO: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization provides the data for the Human Capital Index (HCI). This includes adult literacy rates and gross enrollment ratios for primary, secondary, and tertiary education.

Collaborative Framework

These organizations work together to ensure that the EGDI remains a multidimensional tool. By combining UN DESA’s focus on governance with ITU’s technical data and UNESCO’s social data, the index provides a holistic view of a country's digital maturity.

Publication Period of the EGDI

The E-Government Development Index is not an annual report. Instead, it follows a consistent multi-year cycle to allow for deep data collection and analysis across all 193 Member States.

A Biennial Cycle

The EGDI is published every two years as part of the United Nations E-Government Survey. This biennial schedule is designed to give countries sufficient time to implement digital reforms and for international agencies (like the ITU and UNESCO) to update the complex global datasets that feed into the index.

History of the Survey

The survey was first launched in 2001. Since then, it has evolved from a basic benchmarking tool into a sophisticated longitudinal study. Recent editions include:

• 2024 Survey: "Accelerating Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development" (The 13th edition).

• 2022 Survey: "The Future of Digital Government."

• 2020 Survey: "Digital Government in the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development."

Preparation Phase

While the report is released every two years, the preparation is a continuous process. During the "off-year," UN DESA conducts extensive research, including:

1. Member State Questionnaires: Gathering direct input from national governments regarding their digital strategies.

2. Portal Assessments: Manually reviewing and scoring the national government websites of all UN Member States.

3. Data Verification: Working with partner organizations to normalize infrastructure and education data.

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

To help you better understand the nuances of the E-Government Development Index, here are the most common questions and answers regarding its impact and methodology.

1. Does a drop in ranking mean a country’s e-government is getting worse? Not necessarily. The EGDI is a relative measurement, not an absolute one. If a country’s score stays the same or even improves slightly, but other nations improve much faster, that country may drop in the global rankings. A lower rank often simply means that other nations have accelerated their digital transformation more aggressively.

2. Why might a country have a high Online Service score but a low overall EGDI? Since the EGDI is an average of three indices, a country can have world-class government websites (High OSI) but still receive a lower overall score if its physical internet infrastructure is poor (Low TII) or if a large portion of its population lacks the digital literacy to use those services (Low HCI).

3. What is the difference between the EGDI and the LOSI? While the EGDI assesses digital government at the national level for all 193 Member States, the Local Online Service Index (LOSI) focuses on the city level. UN DESA uses the LOSI to highlight how major municipalities are performing, as local governments are often the primary point of contact for citizens.

4. How are the four "EGDI Levels" defined? Countries are categorized based on their final score (from 0 to 1) into four groups:

• Very High EGDI: Scores between 0.7500 and 1.0000

• High EGDI: Scores between 0.5000 and 0.7499

• Middle EGDI: Scores between 0.2500 and 0.4999

• Low EGDI: Scores below 0.2500

5. How has the 2024 Survey changed from previous years? The 2024 UN E-Government Survey introduced a new "Digital Government Model Framework" and included a special addendum on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in public administration. It also reported that the global population "lagging behind" in digital services has dropped significantly, from 45% in 2022 to roughly 22% in 2024.

---

Glossary of Terms

The following table provides a quick reference for the key terms and acronyms used by UN DESA in the context of the E-Government Development Index.

Term	Abbreviation	Definition
E-Government Development Index	EGDI	The main composite score (0 to 1) used to rank the digital government maturity of UN Member States.
Online Service Index	OSI	A component of the EGDI that measures the quality, scope, and availability of government portals and digital services.
Telecommunication Infrastructure Index	TII	A component of the EGDI that evaluates physical connectivity, including internet users and mobile subscriptions.
Human Capital Index	HCI	A component of the EGDI that assesses the population's education levels and ability to use digital tools.
Local Online Service Index	LOSI	A specialized index that assesses the digital presence and service delivery of municipal (city) governments.
E-Participation Index	EPI	A supplementary index measuring how well governments use online tools to involve citizens in decision-making.
Normalization	-	The statistical process of converting raw data into a uniform scale (0 to 1) for fair comparison.
Digital Divide	-	The gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information technology and those that don't.
Member States	-	The 193 sovereign states that are members of the United Nations and included in the EGDI rankings.
Member State Questionnaire	MSQ	A self-reporting tool used by UN DESA to collect specific data directly from national governments.

---