The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has continued its leadership across the Middle East and North Africa in the Government Electronic and Mobile Services Maturity Index (GEMS) for 2025, issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), maintaining its first-place ranking for the fourth consecutive time. Saudi Arabia achieved a very high maturity rate of 99% in the overall index assessment, reflecting the sustained maturity of Saudi Arabia’s digital government and its continued progress at the regional level, SPA reported. Governor of the Digital Government Authority Eng. Ahmed Mohammed Alsuwaiyan affirmed that Saudi Arabia’s top ranking in the overall index reflects the support provided by the wise leadership to the digital government ecosystem in developing an integrated government model that places beneficiaries at the center of attention, enhances the competitiveness of the national economy, and improves government performance efficiency through a sustainable approach. He noted that this achievement reflects the efforts made by government agencies to develop procedures and platforms and adopt emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, enabling Saudi Arabia to become a global model in business efficiency and digital economy growth, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia ranked first in the index, which covered 17 countries and was based on assessing the maturity of 100 priority government services delivered to individuals and businesses through digital platforms and smart applications, across three sub-indicators. Saudi Arabia achieved 100% in the Service Availability and Development indicator, 99% in the Service Usage and User Satisfaction indicator, and 100% in the Public Outreach indicator. This achievement reflects the continuous progress of digital government services across vital sectors. In the civil services sector, digital platforms have enhanced the ease of issuing official documents, including passport renewals, national ID renewals, birth registration, and other services. Meanwhile, in the justice sector, digital services have enabled beneficiaries to complete a wide range of procedures electronically with ease. In the health sector, digital services have facilitated remote medical appointments and improved access to healthcare services more efficiently. In the customs clearance sector, digital solutions have accelerated procedures and enhanced the efficiency of transaction processing. This progress is attributed to the development of an advanced digital government infrastructure, strengthening the integration of services across government agencies, enhancing digital inclusion and accessibility for persons with disabilities, as well as leveraging data, emerging technologies, and artificial intelligence to deliver government services that are more efficient, proactive, and reliable for citizens, residents, and visitors, while strengthening digital identity security and digital channels to ensure government services that are secure and easily accessible to beneficiaries. This achievement builds on a series of advanced results achieved by Saudi Arabia in international indices. Most recently, Saudi Arabia ranked second globally in the GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) 2025 issued by the World Bank, in an assessment covering 197 countries. In addition, Riyadh was selected as the headquarters of the United Nations Center for Digital Government, established in partnership with the United Nations to support capabilities in research and innovation and strengthen international cooperation, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s advanced position in digital government and government service development in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
