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,
- 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,
- 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.
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,
- 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 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,” Jack Chambers, minister for public expenditure, infrastructure, public service reform and digitalisation, said.
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,
- 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.
Patryk Goron
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