Saudi Arabia Leads Region in Digital Services Maturity

✍️ BETH Agency

Saudi Arabia has topped the Middle East and North Africa for the third consecutive year in the ESCWA 2024 Maturity Index for E‑Government and Mobile Services, scoring 96 %.

Digital Government Authority Governor Ahmed al‑Suwayan attributed the achievement to strong leadership support, inter‑agency integration, and the use of emerging technologies and AI.

Steady climb: 4th (2020) → 2nd (2021) → 1st since 2022.

Key sectors

Health: e‑prescriptions, online appointment booking, tele‑medicine.

Education: distance‑learning platforms, fully digital university admissions.

Saudi services outperformed 16 other countries, with 100 priority services assessed across three sub‑indices:

Service availability & advancement 99 %

User uptake & satisfaction 93 %

Public reach 99 %

Parallel 2024 milestones

Jump of 25 places in the UN E‑Government Development Index.

4th globally, 1st regionally in the Digital Services Index.

7th globally in the E‑Participation Index.

Riyadh ranked 3rd worldwide among 193 cities.