Oman sees strong gains in digital government services

Observer

07-05-2025

MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman has recorded significant progress in the 2024 Government Electronic and Mobile Services Maturity Index (GEMSMI), advancing by six percentage points to reach a 72% score, up from 66% in 2023. The index, issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), assesses the maturity of digital government services delivered via electronic portals and mobile applications across Arab countries.
The evaluation covered 27 government institutions in Oman and reviewed a total of 94 services across diverse sectors, including health, education, transportation, police, finance, justice, municipal and social affairs, trade and industry, labor, and tourism. The 2024 results highlight notable improvements across all key performance pillars of the index.
In the pillar of Service Availability and Development, Oman achieved an 80% score, up from 76.64% last year. Service Usage and User Satisfaction also saw a marked improvement, reaching 63%, compared to 51.95% in 2023. Public Access rose to 78%, up from 73.78% the previous year, reflecting expanded outreach and digital inclusiveness. Moreover, Oman recorded a 94% performance level in service development on electronic portals, a notable rise from 84.45%. User satisfaction with the electronic portals climbed to 89%, compared to 76.44% in 2023. On the mobile side, application availability improved to 60%, from 49.97%, while mobile user satisfaction grew to 62%, up from 47.76%.
The GEMSMI report underlines Oman's steady advancement in e-government transformation, positioning it among the leading countries in the Arab region in terms of digital maturity. ESCWA developed the index as a benchmarking tool to track and encourage the development of digital government services and to guide policymaking and strategic planning in support of national digital transformation programs.
A total of 17 countries took part in this year's index evaluation. The 2024 edition also saw an expansion in the number of government services assessed and the inclusion of new performance indicators to better reflect the evolving landscape of digital public services in the Arab world. — ONA