Saudi Arabia Soars to Second in Global GovTech Maturity Index

Saudi Arabia has climbed to second place globally in the World Bank’s 2025 GovTech Maturity Index, a ranking that covers 197 countries. The announcement came during a press briefing in Washington, where officials outlined just how far the kingdom’s digital government has come in recent years.

According to the index data, Saudi Arabia didn’t just edge forward—it swept through all the key sub‑indicators with remarkable scores. The country posted an overall maturity level of 99.64%, placing it among the “very advanced” nations when it comes to digital infrastructure, core government systems, online public services, and citizen engagement. It’s one of the highest results recorded anywhere, which is… well, quite something.

The governor of the Digital Government Authority, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al‑Suwayan, noted that this progress reflects strong backing from the Saudi leadership and a great deal of coordination across government bodies, alongside solid partnerships with the private sector. He pointed out that national teams have spent recent years redesigning government services and building the sort of digital backbone that allowed the kingdom to leap ahead. And as he put it, the authority will keep pushing innovation and improving digital products to support Saudi Arabia’s economy and the wider Vision 2030 goals.

The detailed breakdown of the index shows the same picture of consistency. Saudi Arabia scored 99.92% in the Core Government Systems Index, 99.90% for Digital Public Services, 99.30% on citizen engagement, and 99.50% in the enablers of digital transformation. That balanced performance placed the country firmly in the top “A” classification.

What strikes me most—especially after years of meeting founders through Arageek who often complain about basic digital processes being a bit of a faff—is how quickly this shift has happened. Back in 2020, Saudi Arabia ranked 49th. By 2022 it had jumped to third, and now it has nudged into second place. Spot on progress, really, and I reckon this kind of acceleration doesn’t happen by accident.

This rise mirrors the broader arc of Vision 2030, which positioned people at the centre of digital reform. Better services, smoother user experience, and more efficient government work were set as the targets, and bit by bit the ecosystem has moved in that direction. On the flip side, there’s always room to grow—no digital transformation is ever truly “finished”, you know? But for now, the trajectory is undeniably upwards, even if some observers are chuffed to bits while others stay cautious.

And believe it or not, seeing this kind of momentum always reminds me of a chat I once had with a young founder who said government tech felt like “the final boss” for startups in the region. Looking at these results, that boss battle seems definatley to be getting easier.

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