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Over recent years, online government services have become increasingly common. In 2024, Denmark was ranked first with a near-perfect E-Government Development Index (EGDI) rating of *. The EGDI assesses e-government development at a national level based on three components: the online service index, the telecommunication infrastructure index, and the human capital index. 

E-government development and the persisting digital divide

According to the UN, e-government is a pivotal factor in advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Public services should be accessible to all, and e-government has to harness existing and new technologies to ensure that. There is a risk of a new digital divide, as low-income countries with insufficient infrastructure are lagging, leaving already vulnerable people even more at risk of not being able to gain any advantage from new technologies. Despite some investments and developmental gains, many countries are still unable to benefit from ICTs because of poor connectivity, high cost of access and lack of necessary skills. These factors have a detrimental effect on the further development of e-government in low EGDI-ranked regions such as Africa as the pace of technological progress intensifies.

E-government services

Transactional services are among the most common features offered by e-government websites worldwide. In 2018, it was found that *** countries enabled their citizens to submit income taxes via national websites. The majority of countries allow citizens to access downloadable forms, receive updates or access archived information about a wide range of sectors such as education, employment, environment, health, and social protection.