Ireland ranked among world leaders in Digital Government and Open Data for Better Public Services

Ireland has achieved international recognition for how it uses digital technology and open data to improve public services and support a thriving economy. Two new international reports show that Ireland remains one of the leading countries in the EU and OECD in these areas.

The Government’s updated National Digital & AI Strategy, Digital Ireland – Connecting our People, Securing our Future, sets out the Government’s ambition and vision to 2030 to ensure Ireland remains a digital leader in an increasingly competitive global environment. Advancing digital government and maximising the use of data to enhance policy and public services are also central pillars of transformation under the Government’s Better Public Services strategy.

Why this matters

Digitalisation and the reuse of open data have a real and positive impact on the everyday lives of people in Ireland. They help:

• deliver faster, simpler public services,
• reduce paperwork and duplication,
• make Government more transparent,
• support better decision‑making, and
• boost the economy by helping businesses create new products and services.

Having strong digital systems also means Ireland is better prepared to maximise the potential of emerging technologies such as AI.

Ireland’s performance in European rankings

Ireland has once again been ranked 5th overall out of 36 countries in the EU’s 2025 Open Data Maturity Assessment, and 4th among EU Member States, with a score of 96%.

This assessment looks at how well countries make public sector information openly available and easy to reuse — for example, transport data, environmental data, health statistics, or local authority information. This kind of data powers innovation, supports research, and helps businesses build new solutions.

Ireland was praised for:

• providing strong technical and advisory supports to public bodies,
• offering a shared national data platform and catalogues, and
• reducing barriers for local organisations to publish high‑quality data.

These results reflect the work happening under Ireland’s National Open Data Strategy 2023–2027 and making public sector open data accessible through the national Open Data Portal – data.gov.ie.

Strong OECD results for digital government

A separate report from the OECD also highlights Ireland’s progress. Ireland ranked 7th out of 36 countries in the 2025 Digital Government Index, which measures how well countries are transforming public services using digital technology.

Ireland scored strongly in areas such as:

• designing digital services from the start (“digital by design”),
• building shared platforms and tools that all public bodies can use,
• involving users in shaping services, and
• making government data open, useful and reusable.

Ireland also ranked 11th in the OECD’s OURdata Index, which specifically measures the quality and impact of open government data.

What all this means

These results show that Ireland’s long‑term investment in digital transformation is working. Digital tools, better use of data, and modern IT systems help create:

• more efficient public services,
• fairer and more transparent decision‑making,
• greater public trust, and
• a stronger, more innovative economy.

This progress supports Ireland’s wider national plans for digitalisation at scale in the recently published National Digital & AI Strategy and Digital Public Services Plan 2030.

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers, welcomed the findings:

“These results show the real progress Ireland is making in building a modern, innovative and data‑driven public service. Our strong performance demonstrates the impact of sustained investment, close cooperation across the public service, and a commitment to transparency and user‑focused design.

As we continue to deliver on our digital transformation roadmap, we will ensure that high‑quality data and modern digital tools improve outcomes, strengthen public trust, grow our economy, and deliver better services for everyone.”

Read the Open Data Maturity report

Read the Digital Government Index and Open, Useful and Re-usable Data Index working paper

Notes

The 2025 Open Data Maturity (ODM) Assessment evaluated the maturity of countries in the field of open data. The ODM serves as an essential reference for tracking progress, identifying emerging trends and supporting peer learning across Europe. The 11th edition assesses 36 countries, including all 27 EU Member States, three members of the European Free Trade Association and six candidate countries. Ireland’s overall open data maturity of 96% compares very favourably against the EU average of 86%.

Ireland is categorised as a ‘trendsetter’ nation with a top five ranking alongside France, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. This means that the country has an advanced open data policy in place, with substantial coordination of open data activities at all levels of government. The national portal, data.gov.ie, provides a wide range of features and caters to the needs of advanced users and publishers. Open data is taken up and reused for various purposes, creating impact in several domains.

Ireland also placed in the top 5 performers in 2024, out of 34 countries, in the EU Open Data Maturity Assessment rankings. Ireland has retained its place in the top 5 in 2025.

The National Open Data Strategy 2023-2027 provides the strategic direction for public services bodies in terms of publication and use of open data, and the development of the national open data portal.

The OECD Digital Government Index (DGI) assesses how effectively governments are building the foundations for a coherent, human‑centred digital transformation of the public sector. The 2025 results benchmark 36 countries across the six dimensions of the OECD Digital Government Policy Framework: Digital by Design, Data‑Driven Public Sector, Government as a Platform, Open by Default, User‑Driven, and Proactiveness. The findings are based on data collected between January 2023 and December 2024.

The DGI aims to help governments understand their level of digital maturity, identify areas for improvement and adopt best practices. It provides insight into the systems, governance structures and coordination efforts required to achieve whole‑of‑government digital transformation. A more detailed analysis of trends, drivers of change and country‑specific notes will be published in the 2026 OECD Digital Government Outlook.

Ireland ranked 7th overall in the 2025 DGI, reflecting strong performance across all six dimensions, particularly in Digital by Design, Government as a Platform and User‑Driven service design. This positions Ireland among the global leaders in developing a coherent policy and governance environment for digital transformation.

The related Open, Useful and Re‑usable Data (OURdata) Index evaluates national policies and practices on open government data. It measures how governments design, implement and sustain open data initiatives across areas such as availability, accessibility and stakeholder engagement. The 2025 findings underscore the importance of trustworthy systems and cross‑government collaboration in supporting effective data sharing and reuse. Ireland ranked 11th in this index.

Important national frameworks guiding digital government policy and development include the recently published Digital Ireland National Digital & AI Strategy, Connecting Government 2030 strategy, the Digital Public Services Plan 2030, and the forthcoming Public Service Data Strategy.

Further information on the Better Public Services 2030 Strategy and its implementation is available at gov.ie/transformation