Topping the Ranks: Absher Leads Saudi Arabia’s Digital Government Revolution

For the second year in a row, Absher, the Saudi Interior Ministry’s E-platform, has secured the top score in the Digital Experience Maturity Index for 2026.

Released by the Digital Government Authority (DGA), the index measures the maturity level of government digital platforms and services to enhance the quality of digital services and improve the user experience.

Saudi Arabia has achieved major milestones in digital transformation in line with the objectives of Vision 2030, aimed at building a sustainable knowledge-based economy and securing global leadership in advanced technologies.

The Rise of Absher

The Big Picture: Absher ranked first in the Digital Experience Maturity Index for 2026, achieving a general score of 94.38%. The index evaluates four main criteria:

• User satisfaction (95.14%)
• User experience (94.18%)
• Complaint handling (95.70%)
• Technology and tools

Why It Matters: By securing the top spot for the second consecutive year, Absher underscores its unwavering commitment to developing its digital experience and boosting the quality and efficiency of its services, in line with its pivotal role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation.

The Everyday Platform

Zoom In: Over the years, Absher has evolved from an ordinary online portal into an essential everyday platform that serves over 32 million users across Absher Individuals, Absher Business, and Absher Government. The online services provided by the platform save time and eliminate millions of physical documents, contributing to carbon emissions reduction.

Through a robust ecosystem, Absher offers more than 350 services for citizens, residents, and visitors:

• Civil Affairs: Renewing national IDs, registering newborns, and updating personal information.
• Passports (Jawazat): Renewing residency permits (Iqama), issuing exit/re-entry visas, and booking appointments.
• Traffic: Renewing vehicle registrations, paying traffic violations, participating in license plate auctions, and processing electronic bail.
• General Services: Requesting official document postal delivery, checking Hajj permits, and utilizing humanitarian donation services such as Furijat.

Digital Inclusion

The Context: The Digital Experience Maturity Index for 2026 also evaluated digital inclusion. The Digital Inclusion sub-index achieved a “Competent” level, with 76.98%, underscoring a strong commitment to providing inclusive digital services for all society members, particularly the elderly and people with disabilities.

Between the Lines: Following a comprehensive assessment of 59 digital platforms, the Digital Experience Maturity Index for 2026 achieved an “Advanced” maturity level, scoring 87.06%.

Top 10 Digital Platforms:

• Absher (94.38%)
• Etimad (94.36%)
• Senaei (92.83%)
• Balady (92.56%)
• Tawakkalna (92.50%)
• Musaned (92.20%)
• Qiwa (92.14%)
• Logisti (91.72%)
• Nama (91.53%)
• The Ministry of Tourism Portal (91.16%)

In His words: “The index results reflect the continuous advancement of digital services in Saudi Arabia and government agencies’ commitment to improving their services and leveraging beneficiary feedback. These efforts contribute to delivering digital services that are more accessible, efficient, and reliable, improving quality of life, and enhancing government performance efficiency.” – Eng. Ahmed bin Mohammed Alsuwaiyan, DGA Governor.

Vision 2030 Milestones

State of Play: Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia aims to position itself as a global leader in digital government. These ambitions have been materialized in advanced rankings across several prestigious indexes.

By the Numbers:

• #1 in the region: Saudi Arabia claimed the top spot for the fourth consecutive time in the 2025 Government Electronic and Mobile Services Maturity Index (GEMS), issued by UN-ESCWA.
• #2 worldwide: Saudi Arabia ranked second globally in the World Bank’s 2025 GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI), solidifying its place among elite digital governments.
• #4 globally: The country placed fourth worldwide in the UN’s Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII), reflecting massive investments in 5G and high-speed fiber networks.

The Catalyst: The Kingdom’s robust digital infrastructure provides the foundation that powers Absher’s milestone score, as Saudi Arabia ranked #1 globally for the second consecutive year among 159 economies in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) 2026 ICT Development Index (IDI) with an overall score of 99.8 out of 100.

The Bottom Line: Absher’s milestone positions Saudi Arabia as a global benchmark for digital governance, redefining what a seamless, tech-enabled nation looks like on the world stage.