Oman improves ranking in UN index of digital governance
Muscat – Oman has improved its ranking in the 2024 Government Electronic and Mobile Services Maturity Index (GEMS) with a score of 72%, compared to 66% in 2023, according to a report released by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on Monday.
The report covers 17 Arab countries and assesses digital government performance across three key dimensions – service availability and development, service uptake and satisfaction, and government outreach and engagement.
Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates led the index with scores of 96% and 95%, respectively, reflecting strong progress in national digital transformation. The index covers a wide range of sectors, including health, education, transportation, finance, justice, trade, tourism and social affairs.
The index highlighted gains in Oman's performance across the key pillars of digital maturity. The sultanate's score in the service availability and development pillar rose to 80%, up from 76.64% in 2023. Service uptake and satisfaction increased to 63%, compared to 51.95% last year, while the score for government outreach and engagement rose from 73.78% to 78%.
The index also showed a sharp rise in Oman's evaluation indicators. The level of service development for electronic portals improved to 94% from 84.45% in 2023. User satisfaction with these portals was 89%, up from 76.44%. Mobile application availability also improved to 60%, compared to 49.97% last year, while user satisfaction of mobile platforms increased to 62%, up from 47.76%.
Nawar al Awa, ESCWA's GEMS project lead, noted that despite overall progress in the region, a significant digital divide remains between countries with advanced digital infrastructure and those in the early stages of digital development. This gap widened from 91% in 2023 to 95% in 2024, largely due to disparities in resources and challenges in adopting emerging technologies.
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