Australia second globally in the OECD Digital Government Index

The Digital Transformation Agency has announced that Australia has been recognised as a global leader in digital government, ranking second overall in the OECD’s 2025 Digital Government Index.

Among 42 countries assessed, Australia achieved a score of 88%, reflecting a sustained investment in governance, shared platforms and user-centred services across government.

The Index measures the policy foundations and institutional capability that enable governments to deliver coherent digital transformation.

“Australia’s Data and Digital Strategy set an ambitious goal to achieve world-class data and digital capability by 2030,” said Chris Fechner, Chief Executive Officer at the DTA. “This result is a testament to the immense progress we are making across government to strengthen how services are delivered across our community and positions Australia as a global leader in digital government.”

The Digital Government Index assesses how governments embed digital capability across a range of dimensions.

Digital by design

Digital by design focuses on embedding digital thinking into policy, investment and governance from the outset. This includes setting clear direction, aligning decision-making and strengthening oversight across government.

Australia has maintained its leading position from 2023 in this dimension, reflecting the success of governance settings and strong strategic alignment across government.

User driven

User-driven approaches place people’s needs at the centre of policy and service design, ensuring services are accessible, inclusive and consistent. Since 2023, Australia has climbed from fourth to first, reflecting stronger integration of accessibility, usability and user experience practices across government.

Government as a platform

Government as a platform focuses on shared infrastructure and reusable components that enable agencies to deliver services for the community efficiently. Since 2023, Australia has lifted its standing from fifth to fourth, attributed to continued maturity in common digital capabilities and stronger coordination across the Australian Public Service.

Proactiveness

Proactiveness centres on anticipating the needs of the community and applying data and emerging technologies responsibly to improve outcomes. Australia has advanced from seventh place in 2023 to fifth in 2025, reflecting growing maturity in forward-looking service design and stronger governance for emerging technologies.

From strong debut to sustained leadership

Australia’s improved ranking builds on its fifth place debut in the 2023 Digital Government Index. The latest edition places stronger emphasis on governance maturity, data leadership and proactive service delivery, reflecting how countries are embedding digital approaches into core government functions.

“Australia’s rise from fifth to second globally reflects the strength of our governance settings and the depth of collaboration across the Australian Public Service,” Fechner emphasised. “Digital transformation is about building strong foundations that endure, where clear governance and shared platforms give government the confidence to innovate.”

First ranking was again awarded to South Korea.

The full findings are scheduled to come out later in the year. In the meantime, the key findings and insights can be found on the OECD website.

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