Box 6.1 The data-centric online-offline integration of digital government in Shanghai 157
Box 6.2 United States: Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 159
Box 6.3 Building data capacities among government officials in Bangladesh 165
Box 6.4 Data leadership and the Government Data Strategy in Singapore 170
Box 6.5 Data and e-government integration through digital identity: delivering on the Sustainable
Development Goals in Peru 172
Box 6.6 Promoting data-centric policy experimentation and regulatory sandboxes 173
Box 7.1 Government of South Australia: Digital Strategy Toolkit 185
Box 7.2 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: Going Digital Toolkit 189
Box 7.3 Characteristics of a strong single government website 195
Box 7.4 Republic of Korea: National Information Resources Service 196
Box 7.5 UN DESA: global initiative focused on equipping public servants with the capacities to
implement the SDGs 200
Box 7.6 Digital Kazakhstan: providing civil servants with digitalization training 201
Box 7.7 China: online services for persons with disabilities 205
Box 7.8 Singapore: Silver Infocomm Initiative 206
Box A.1. E-Participation Framework 250
Figures
Average EGDI values for countries in special situations, 2020 xxv
Regional distribution of countries by EGDI level, 2016, 2018 and 2020 xxvi
Distribution of the cities assessed based on LOSI level xxviii
Percentage of countries with evidence of online consultations held in the past 12 months,
by region, 2020 xxx
Illustrative data governance framework for e-government xxxi
Figure 1.1 Geographical distribution of the four EGDI groups, 2020 3
Figure 1.2 Number and proportion of countries within each EGDI grouping, 2018 and 2020 3
Figure 1.3 The average values for the EGDI and its component indices for 2016, 2018 and 2020 4
Figure 1.4 Movement between EGDI groups from 2018 to 2020 (Number of countries) 5
Figure 1.5 EGDI group breakdown based on rating class/quartiles 5
Figure 1.6 Member States Questionnaires: key findings for 12 leading countries* 13
Figure 1.7 EGDI rankings by income group, 2020 15
Figure 1.8 Geographical distribution of the four EGDI groups, 2020 24
Figure 1.9 Trends in online transactional services, by OSI level, 2020 26
Figure 1.10 Numbers of countries providing online services to vulnerable groups, 2016, 2018 and 2020 27
Figure 1.11 Trends in sharing public information online, 2020 28
Figure 1.12 Percentage of 193 United Nations Member States offering mobile apps or SMS for public
information updates, by sector, 2018 and 2020 29
Figure 1.13 The delivery of public information via update subscriptions and apps/SMS, by sector, 2020 29
Figure 1.14 Percentage change in fixed (wired) broadband, active mobile broadband, and mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by region, 2018-2020 30
Figure 1.15 The cost of active mobile broadband subscriptions as a percentage of gross national income, by region, 2020 31
Figure 1.16 Availability of basic, advanced and very advanced features on national e-government portals, by country income level 31
Figure 1.17 Number of countries offering tools for e-procurement* 32
Figure 1.18 Number of countries publishing government vacancies online, 2018 and 2020 32
Figure 2.1 Global and regional average EGDI values, 2020 38
Figure 2.2 Global and regional distribution of 193 countries according to EGDI level, 2020 39
Figure 2.3 Composition of the standard deviation in EGDI, OSI, HCI and TII levels, 2020 39
Figure 2.4 Regional distribution of countries by EGDI level, 2016, 2018 and 2020 40
Figure 2.5 Infographic of country movement between different EGDI groups, by region, 2020 41
Figure 2.6 Percentage of countries in each region offering online services, 2020 42
Figure 2.7 Number of countries providing online services for vulnerable groups, 2016, 2018 and 2020 43
Figure 2.8 Average EGDI values for countries in special situations, 2020 56
Figure 2.9 EGDI and subindex values for countries in special situations, 2020 56
Figure 2.10 The distribution of countries in special situations among EGDI levels, 2020 57
Figure 4.1 Number and percentage of cities at each LOSI level 91
Figure 4.2 Distribution of the cities assessed based on LOSI level 91
Figure 4.3 Number of cities by LOSI levels and national income groups 92
Figure 4.4 Implementation of LOSI indicators in city e-government portals 93
Figure 4.5 Implementation of technology indicators in city portals 94
Figure 4.6 Implementation of content provision indicators in city portals 95
Figure 4.7 Implementation of service provision indicators in city portals 96
Figure 4.8 Implementation of participation and engagement indicators in city portals 98
Figure 5.1 The relationship between e-participation and other dimensions of governance 116
Figure 5.2 The e-participation spectrum based on the political dimension and level of engagement,
with examples of associated tools 116
Figure 5.3 Global distribution of the 63 countries in the very high E-Participation Index group,
by region 121
Figure 5.4 E-Participation Index distribution for the four most recent E-Government Surveys 122
Figure 5.5 E-Government Development Index and E-Participation Index values for countries in the high EGDI group in 2020 122
Figure 5.6 Number of countries offering archived online information, by sector, 2018 and 2020 123
Figure 5.7 Proportion of national portals with information on people’s right to access government
information, by region 124
Figure 5.8 Number of countries offering selected features for online interaction, by region, 2020 124
Figure 5.9 National government portals with selected feedback and reporting features,
2018 and 2020 125
Figure 5.10 Proportion of national government portals with selected feedback and reporting features, by region, 2020 125
Figure 5.11 Number of countries with evidence of online consultations held in the preceding 12 months, by sector, 2014, 2016 and 2020 128
Figure 5.12 Percentage of countries with evidence of online consultations held in the past 12 months, by region, 2020 129
Figure 5.13 Linkages between e-participation processes and formal decision-making processes:
the case of e-petitions sent to the parliament 134
Figure 5.14 From e-participation processes to accountability: the case of public services 135
Figure 6.1 The relationship between government data, open data and big data for Governments 147
Figure 6.2a Open government data (OGD): development trends 151
Figure 6.2b Open government data (OGD): development trends 152
Figure 6.2c Open government data (OGD): development trends 152
Figure 6.2d Open government data (OGD): development trends 153
Figure 6.3 Countries that allow individuals and businesses to access own data 153
Figure 6.4 The role of government data in evidence-building and policymaking 158
Figure 6.5 Regions and country groupings with cybersecurity legislation available online and/or with HTTPS extensions in place 161
Figure 6.6 Countries with privacy statements available online 162
Figure 6.7 Countries providing data dictionaries and guidance through their OGD portals 164
Figure 6.8 Illustrative data governance framework for e-government 166
Figure 7.1 A holistic approach to digital government transformation and capacity development 182
Figure 7.2 Star profiling model: assessing capacities for government transformation 183
Figure 7.3 Strengthening policy capacity, competencies and capabilities for digital government
transformation 192
Figure 7.4 The most important leadership traits of chief information officers today 197
Figure 7.5 Critical mindsets in the digital age 198
Figure 7.6. Average Human Capital Index values, by region 202
Figure 7.7 Number of countries with at least one service for vulnerable groups, by region 204
Figure 7.8 Internet penetration rates for men and women, by region or country grouping,
2019 (Percentage of male or female population) 207
Figure 7.9 Average Telecommunication Infrastructure Index values, by region 208
Figure 7.10 Percentage of individuals in each region using the Internet 208
Figure 1 Percentage of Government portals with Covid-19 information and world total confirmed
Covid-19 cases 216
Figure 2: Different levels of e-government information-sharing during COVID-19 217
Figure 3: Examples of local e-government applications in response to COVID-19 220
Figure 4: Sample of popular e-government applications used during COVID-19 223
Figure A.1. The three components of the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 232
Figure A.2. Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) and its components 233
Figure A.3. Human Capital Index (HCI) and its components 235
Tables
Nine key pillars for digital government transformation xxxii
Table 1.1. Rating class breakdowns within EGDI groups 4
Table 1.2. Country EGDI groupings and rating classes within EGDI groups (from highest to lowest) in 2020 and movement between EGDI groups between 2018 and 2020 6
Table 1.3 Leading countries in e-government development in 2020 12
Table 1.4 Country groupings by Online Services Index (OSI) level, 2020 16
Table 1.5 Convergence and divergence of OSI levels relative to EGDI levels, 2020 20
Table 1.6 TII and HCI subcomponent convergence and divergence for the very high OSI group, 2020 20
Table 1.7 TII and HCI subcomponent convergence and divergence for the high OSI group, 2020 21
Table 1.8 TII and HCI subcomponent convergence and divergence for the middle OSI group, 2020 23
Table 1.9 TII and HCI subcomponent convergence and divergence for the low OSI group, 2020 23
Table 1.10 Trends in online transactional services, 2018-2020 25
Table 1.11 Fixed (wired) broadband, active mobile broadband and mobile cellular subscriptions,
by region, 2020 30
Table 2.1 Countries in Africa with the highest EGDI values 44
Table 2.2 Countries in the Americas with the highest EGDI values 46
Table 2.3 Countries in Asia with the highest EGDI values 48
Table 2.4 E-government development in the member countries of the Cooperation Council for the
Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) 50
Table 2.5 Countries in Europe with the highest EGDI values 51
Table 2.6 Countries in Oceania listed in descending order by EGDI value 54
Table 2.7 Least developed countries with the highest EGDI values 58
Table 2.8 Landlocked developing countries with the highest EGDI values 58
Table 2.9 Small island developing States with the highest EGDI values 59
Table 4.1 LOSI and OSI levels: convergence and divergence. (Number and percentage of cities) 93
Table 4.2 Leading cities in each LOSI subgroup 101
Table 5.1 Countries grouped by E-Participation Index level 119
Table 5.2 Countries ranked highest in the 2020 E-Participation Index 120
Table 5.3 Examples of different types of e-participation on national websites 126
Table 6.1 Terminology related to government data 147
Table 6.2 The principles of effective governance for sustainable development endorsed by the
Economic and Social Council: operationalization strategies and their relevance to data
governance 149
Table 6.3 Data as a key resource for Governments: varied approaches among countries 150
Table 6.4 Different approaches to sharing, linking and exchanging data and strengthening
interoperability 156
Table 6.5 Global and regional policy initiatives relating to data governance 167
Table 6.6 Different roles and skill sets for data users in government 169
Table 7.1 Key pillars for government transformation, by digital government development category 185
Table 7.2 Key pillars of a road map for digital governance transformation and digital capacity
development 188
Table 1: Digital government policy response to COVID-19 226
Table A.1. Telecommunication infrastructure index (TII) and changes of its components (2003-2018) 234
Table A.2. Human Capital Index and changes of its components (2003-2014) 236
Annex Tables
Annex Table 1. Country Profiles 259
Annex Table 2. E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 266
Annex Table 3. Regional and Economic Groupings for E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 273
Annex Table 4. E-Government Development Index (EGDI) by region - AFRICA 274
Annex Table 5. E-Government Development Index (EGDI) by region - AMERICAS 276
Annex Table 6. E-Government Development Index EGDI by region - ASIA 278
Annex Table 7. E-Government Development Index EGDI by region - EUROPE 280
Annex Table 8. E-Government Development Index EGDI by region - OCEANIA 282
Annex Table 9. E-Government Development Index EGDI of Least Developed Countries(LDCs) 283
Annex Table 10. E-Government Development Index EGDI of Landlocked Developing Counties(LLDCs) 285
Annex Table 11. E-Government Development Index EGDI of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 286
Annex Table 12. Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) and its components 288
Annex Table 13. Human Capital Index (HCI) and its components 294
Annex Table 14. Local Online Service Index (LOSI) level of 100 Municipalities 308
Annex Table 15. Municipalities Grouped by Local Online Service Index (LOSI) level 310
Annex Table 16. E-Participation Index (EPI) and its utilisation by stages 311
Annex Table 17. Regional and Economic Groupings for E-Participation Index (EPI) 316
Annex Table 18. Open Government Data Index OGDI) 317