Saudi Arabia Tops Regional Digital Government Index for Fourth Consecutive Year
Saudi Arabia has retained its position as the premier regional leader in digital government services by securing first place for the fourth consecutive time. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) published its Government Electronic and Mobile Services (GEMS) Maturity Index for 2025, awarding the Kingdom an overall maturity score of 99%.
Why it matters: The result signals that the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 push to digitize public services is translating into real gains, not just rhetoric. It also strengthens Riyadh’s case as a regional tech hub, ahead of both the UAE and Qatar.
By the numbers: The Kingdom demonstrated remarkable digital government maturity progress over recent years:
- 2022: 87%
- 2023: 93%
- 2024: 96%
- 2025: 99%
Additionally, Saudi Arabia achieved top national rankings across all three essential sub-indicators:
- Service Availability and Development: 100%
- Public Outreach: 100%
- Service Usage and User Satisfaction: 99%
Furthermore, ESCWA evaluated 17 countries based on 100 priority services. ESCWA applies a life-events methodology to evaluate service development, adoption rates, and beneficiary satisfaction. Consequently, Saudi Arabia surpassed all regional peers:
1- Saudi Arabia: 99%
2- United Arab Emirates: 96%
3- Qatar: 79%
4- Bahrain: 75%
5- Oman: 75%
6- Jordan: 71%
7- Kuwait: 67%
8- Algeria: 51%
9- Tunisia: 42%
10- Iraq: 36%
Transforming Public Sectors
What they are saying: Digital Government Authority Governor Eng. Ahmed Mohammed Al-Suwayan praised the wise leadership for supporting national digital initiatives.
“Saudi Arabia’s top ranking in the overall index reflects the support provided by the wise leadership to the digital government ecosystem in developing an integrated government model that places beneficiaries at the center of attention, enhances the competitiveness of the national economy, and improves government performance efficiency through a sustainable approach,” Al-Suwayan stated.
He noted that government agencies actively adopt emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and proactive data management systems. Consequently, Saudi Arabia serves as a global benchmark in business efficiency and digital economy expansion under Saudi Vision 2030.
Specifically, advanced digital services streamline essential public operations:
- Civil Services: Citizens easily renew passports, update national IDs, and complete birth registrations online.
- Justice Sector: Beneficiaries execute complex judicial procedures and administrative transactions electronically.
- Healthcare: Smart healthcare applications seamlessly schedule remote medical appointments, manage digital prescriptions, and broaden access to specialized care.
- Customs: Integrated smart logistics networks accelerate cross-border clearance procedures, elevate security standards, and significantly improve transaction processing efficiency.
Expanding Global Stature
The big picture: Advanced digital infrastructure, integrated systems, data utilization, and secure channels strengthen overall service reliability. Consequently, public entities guarantee seamless accessibility for citizens, residents, visitors, and persons with disabilities.
Moreover, this milestone reinforces Saudi Arabia’s rising global stature. Recently, the Kingdom ranked second globally among 197 countries in the World Bank’s 2025 GovTech Maturity Index.
Meanwhile, the United Nations officially selected Riyadh as the global headquarters for the UN Center for Digital Government. As a result, this international partnership will drive research, foster innovation, and support sustainable development goals worldwide.
