Fragile and conflict-affected economies trail on all four areas of digital government

What is it about?

Governments around the world use digital technologies to deliver public services, run administrative systems and engage citizens. How does this development differ in countries affected by conflict or institutional fragility? This study examines 197 economies, including 39 that the World Bank classifies as fragile or conflict-affected, using the 2025 World Bank GovTech Maturity Index. It compares four areas: core government systems, online public services, digital citizen engagement, and the policies and institutions that support digital transformation. After accounting for income, population and region, fragile and conflict-affected economies scored 0.187 points lower on the overall index, which runs from zero to one. That gap equals about a third of the average score. All four areas showed lower scores, but the evidence did not show that any one area lagged more than the others. When the comparison group changed, the order of two areas reversed. The findings point to broad digital government gaps and show why all four functions belong in country assessments. They do not show that fragility causes these gaps, and they do not identify which investments should come first.

Featured Image

Photo by Conny Schneider on Unsplash

Photo by Conny Schneider on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Digital government shapes how people reach public services, deal with institutions and take part in governance. In fragile and conflict-affected settings, these systems are part of rebuilding public institutions, so knowing where the gaps lie matters for governments and their partners. This study compares all four GovTech areas using the same economies and controls, and formally tests whether their gaps differ. The key lesson is a caution: the largest observed gap is not necessarily the most urgent priority. The gaps could not be statistically separated, and the order of two areas reversed when the comparison group changed. For governments, the World Bank and other development partners, the findings support country assessments that cover all four functions and look beyond technology to service accessibility, institutional sustainability, citizen participation and safeguards against exclusion. People without reliable connectivity, identity documents or digital skills, including displaced populations, face the greatest risk when services move online. The study also sets a research agenda: testing whether digital government initiatives actually improve services and benefit citizens, especially vulnerable groups. The data and code are openly available so others can replicate and extend the analysis.

Perspectives