In an increasingly hyperconnected world, online access to essential public services has become a necessity. This realisation became increasingly apparent during the pandemic, when people had little choice but to seek services online.
Among other criteria, the SmartCity Expo World Congress evaluated countries with the most advanced e-government systems based on nine selected key online services (e-residency, passport renewal, company/freelancer registration, e-visa, online registration, tax calculation and payment, digital signature, and online voting).
While services like tax payments are digitised across all evaluated countries, online voting is currently only available and fully implemented in Estonia for all elections. Pilot projects for online voting in local elections have been implemented in countries such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, and the United States. Trials have been conducted in most of these countries.
The United Kingdom leads with an index of 95.3%, thanks to the digitisation of most of its public services, except for e-residency and online voting. New Zealand, ranking second with an e-government score of 92.1%, offers streamlined company registration processes that can be completed within 24 hours. Japan ranks third with an e-government score of 88.8%. It stands out as the leading Asian country in e-government, surpassing Singapore in this regard.
In sixth position is Saudi Arabia, with an e-government score of 84.2%. The Absher platform provides access to all online services.
Despite challenges related to security, data protection, and accessibility that hinder the development of e-government, the process continues to evolve in various countries. This ongoing development is driven by the significant improvements it brings in efficiency and transparency within public services.
