E-Government Development Index (EGDI)
The E-Government Development Index presents the state of E-Government Development of the United Nations Member States. Along with an assessment of the website development patterns in a country, the E-Government Development index incorporates the access characteristics, such as the infrastructure and educational levels, to reflect how a country is using information technologies to promote access and inclusion of its people. The EGDI is a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely: provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity.
The EGDI is not designed to capture e-government development in an absolute sense; rather, it aims to give a performance rating of national governments relative to one another.
Methodology
The EGDI is based on a comprehensive Survey of the online presence of all 194 countries, which assesses national websites and how e-government policies and strategies are applied in general and in specific sectors for delivery of essential services. The assessment rates the e-government performance of countries relative to one another as opposed to being an absolute measurement. The results are tabulated and combined with a set of indicators embodying a country's capacity to participate in the information society, without which e-government development efforts are of limited immediate use.
Although the basic model has remained consistent, the precise meaning of these values varies from one edition of the Survey to the next as understanding of the potential of e-government changes and the underlying technology evolves. This is an important distinction because it also implies that it is a comparative framework that seeks to encompass various approaches that may evolve over time instead of advocating a linear path with an absolute goal.
Mathematically, the EGDI is a weighted average of three normalized scores on three most important dimensions of e-government, namely: (1) scope and quality of online services (Online Service Index, OSI), (2) development status of telecommunication infrastructure (Telecommunication Infrastructure Index, TII), and (3) inherent human capital (Human Capital Index, HCI). Each of these indices is a composite measure that can be extracted and analysed independently.
EGDI = ⅓ (OSInormalized + TIInormalized + HCInormalized)
Z-Score Standardization
Prior to the normalization of the three component indicators, the Z-score standardization procedure is implemented for each component indicator to ensure that the overall EGDI is equally decided by the three component indexes, i.e. each component index presents comparable variance subsequent to the Z-score standardization. In the absence of the Z-score standardization treatment, the EGDI would mainly depend on the component index with the greatest dispersion.
After the Z-score standardization, the arithmetic average sum becomes a good statistical indicator, where "equal weights" truly means "equal importance."
For standard Z-score calculation of each component indicator:
z = (x − μ) / σ
where: x is a raw score to be standardized; μ is the mean of the population; σ is the standard deviation of the population.
EGDI Rating Classification
Within 0 to 1 range of EGDI values the countries are then grouped into four levels mathematically defined as follows:
| Level | EGDI Range |
|---|---|
| Very High EGDI (VH) | 0.75 to 1.00 inclusive |
| High EGDI (H) | 0.50 to 0.7499 inclusive |
| Middle EGDI (M) | 0.25 to 0.4999 inclusive |
| Low EGDI (L) | 0.0 to 0.2499 inclusive |
In all references to these ranges in text and graphic elements, the respective values are rounded for clarity and are expressed as follows: 0.75 to 1.00, 0.50 to 0.75, 0.25 to 0.50, and 0.00 to 0.25.
To gain better insight into the situation of subgroups of countries with similar levels of performance within their respective EGDI groups, each EGDI group is further divided in rating classes, calculated based on quartiles.
Rating Classes
The rating class breakdowns within the respective EGDI groups, in descending order, are as follows:
| Group | Quartile 4 (highest) | Quartile 3 | Quartile 2 | Quartile 1 (lowest) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very High | VH | V3 | V2 | V1 |
| High | HV | H3 | H2 | H1 |
| Middle | MH | M3 | M2 | M1 |
| Low | LM | L3 | L2 | L1 |
Changes Across Survey Editions
While the basic EGDI model has remained consistent, each edition of the Survey refines the assessment to reflect the evolving digital government landscape. The most significant recent changes are summarized below.
2026What's New in the 2026 Survey
- Expanded coverage: the 2026 Survey covers 193 and State of Palestine, broadening the assessment beyond previous editions.
- TII expansion: the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) has been expanded to include E-government Infrastructure (EGI), capturing the foundational systems that underpin digital service delivery.
- OSI update: the Online Service Index (OSI) assessment has been updated to evaluate life-event services and the use of AI-enabled tools in government service provision.
2024The 2024 Survey
- The thirteenth edition, Accelerating Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development, retained the methodology introduced in 2022, keeping results directly comparable across the two editions.
- It included a dedicated addendum on Artificial Intelligence, examining the growing role of AI in digital government.
- The OSI questionnaire was updated to reflect new developments in online service delivery and e-participation.
2022The 2022 OSI Refinement
The most comprehensive update to the E-Government Survey assessment in 2022 came in the form of a refined formula for generating the Online Service Index. The new approach introduced a standardization and normalization regimen to further align the OSI with the Local Online Service Index (LOSI) by categorizing the assessment questions into 5 discrete thematic areas forming 5 subindices: institutional framework (IF), services provision (SP), content provision (CP), technology (TEC) and e-participation (EPART).
Key Facts
- Covers 193 Member States and State of Palestine in 2026 edition
- Published since 2001
- Composed of 3 equally-weighted sub-indices
- Scores range from 0 to 1
- A relative performance rating, not absolute
- HCI expanded in 2024 with e-government literacy
- OSI refined in 2022 with 5 sub-indices
- TII expanded in 2026 with e-government infrastructure
Related Pages
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