Saudi Arabia topped the Middle East and North Africa in the 2025 E-Government and Mobile Government Services Maturity Index, maintaining first place for the fourth consecutive time, with a maturity rate of 99%.

The index, issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), covered 17 countries and was based on assessing the maturity of 100 priority government services provided to individuals and businesses through digital platforms and smart applications, according to three sub-indicators; Saudi Arabia scored 100% in the 'Service Availability and Development' indicator, 99% in the 'Service Usage and User Satisfaction' indicator, and 100% in the 'Reach to the Public' indicator.

Saudi Arabia topped the ranking with a rate of 99%, ahead of the UAE in second place with 96%, followed by Qatar with 79%. Bahrain and Oman tied for fourth place with 75% each, then Jordan in sixth with 71%, Kuwait in seventh with 67%, Algeria in eighth with 51%, Tunisia in ninth with 42%, and Iraq in tenth with 36%.

Governor of the Digital Government Authority, Engineer Ahmed Al-Suwaiyan, confirmed that Saudi Arabia's top ranking in the overall index reflects the leadership's support for the digital government system in developing an integrated government model that places the beneficiary at the center of attention, enhances the competitiveness of the national economy, and raises the efficiency of government performance in a sustainable manner, pointing out that this achievement translates the efforts exerted by government entities in developing procedures and platforms and adopting emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.

Thu, 18 2025

This progress is attributed to digital government services in vital sectors; in the civil services sector, digital platforms have enhanced the ease of issuing official documents, such as renewing passports, national IDs, registering births, and others, while judicial services enabled beneficiaries to complete many procedures electronically with ease. In the health sector, digital services contributed to completing remote health appointments and facilitating access to medical services with higher efficiency.

Digital solutions in the customs clearance sector have contributed to accelerating procedures and increasing the efficiency of transaction completion. This is due to the development of an advanced government digital infrastructure, enhancing service integration among government entities, raising the level of digital inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities, in addition to employing data, emerging technologies, and artificial intelligence to provide more efficient, proactive, and reliable services to citizens, residents, and visitors, while enhancing access security and digital channels to ensure secure and easily accessible government services for beneficiaries.

Saudi Arabia had achieved second place globally in the 2025 Digital Government Maturity Index issued by the World Bank Group, within an assessment covering 197 countries, in addition to the selection of Riyadh as the headquarters of the Global Center for Digital Government in partnership with the United Nations; to enable capabilities in research and innovation and enhance international cooperation.