5 factors behind Saudi Arabia’s continued regional leadership in digital government

Saudi Arabia credits five factors for maintaining four-year regional lead in digital government

Saudi Arabia has retained first place in the E-Government and Mobile Government Services Maturity Index across the Middle East and North Africa for the fourth consecutive year, a result the Digital Government Authority (DGA) attributes to five core factors. Abdulwahab Al-Baddah, official spokesperson for the DGA, said the sustained position reflects an institutionalised digital transformation that supports the targets of Saudi Vision 2030 and has real-world effects on citizens, residents and visitors.

“It is not a temporary achievement, but a sustainable institutional working model focused on developing government services, raising their quality, and improving the beneficiary experience,” Al-Baddah said, describing the model that underpins the Kingdom’s performance.

Al-Baddah outlined the five factors driving Saudi Arabia’s digital-government leadership:

• Integration of work between government entities
• Development of national digital infrastructure
• Expansion of electronic services across sectors
• Adoption of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence
• Focus on beneficiary experience and measuring satisfaction levels

He told reporters that these elements combine to form a sustainable institutional model, moving digital transformation from a set of initiatives into an integrated system of continuous improvement. The DGA argues the model is measurable and operational: government entities use performance indicators and beneficiary satisfaction metrics to simplify procedures, speed up transactions and enhance overall service quality.

Al-Baddah pointed to tangible improvements in specific sectors. In health, digital services now enable access to medical services and remote appointment booking; many judicial procedures have become available electronically; and government platforms have eased the issuance and renewal of official documents. In trade and logistics, digital customs-clearance solutions have sped up procedures and increased transactional efficiency, he said.

The DGA also framed the regional lead as part of a broader international trajectory. Saudi Arabia achieved second place globally in the World Bank’s Digital Government Maturity Index for 2025, and Riyadh was selected as the headquarters for the Global Center for Digital Government in partnership with the United Nations. “These achievements reflect growing international confidence in the Saudi experience,” Al-Baddah said, arguing they confirm the Kingdom’s success in building an advanced digital system aligned with global best practices.

Looking ahead, Al-Baddah signalled a sharpened emphasis on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies as the next phase of development. He said the DGA will prioritise deeper integration of AI to deliver “more efficient and easier services” and to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s competitiveness in international digital-government rankings.

Al-Baddah tied the technological push directly to national objectives: the development of digital services, he said, has become “a pillar for enhancing the efficiency of government performance, supporting the targets of Saudi Vision 2030, and cementing Saudi Arabia’s position among the world’s leading countries in digital government.”