Tajikistan is placed last among Central Asian countries in the 2024 E-Government Development Index (EGDI) published by the United Nations.

Globally, the country with a total score of 0.56 is ranked 123rd out of 193 nations. 

Among Central Asian nations, Kazakhstan achieved the highest ranking, placing 24th with an EGDI score of 0.90.  Uzbekistan is ranked 63rd (0.80) and Kyrgyzstan is ranked 78th (0.73).

The Russian Federation with a total score of 0.85 is ranked 43rd.

Globally, the top three countries with the most advanced e-governments in 2024 were:

 

  • Denmark (EGDI: 0.98)
  • Estonia (EGDI: 0.97)
  • Singapore (EGDI: 0.96)

 

The United States is ranked 19th (0.92), and China is ranked 35th (0.87).

At the bottom of the list were Somalia (0.15), South Sudan (0.12), and the Central African Republic (0.09).

 

Index categories and Tajikistan’s performance

The EGDI classifies countries into four categories based on their scores:

 

  • Very High Development (0.75–1)
  • High Development (0.50–0.75)
  • Medium Development (0.25–0.50)
  • Low Development (0–0.25)

 

Tajikistan, with a score of 0.56, falls into the “high development” category, along with Kyrgyzstan (0.73). Kazakhstan (0.90), Uzbekistan (0.80), and Russia (0.85) are in the "very high development" category.

The composite EGDI score is based on three sub-indices:

 

  • Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (based on ITU data): Tajikistan scored 0.58.
  • Human Capital Index (based on UNESCO data): Tajikistan scored 0.65.
  • Online Services Index (based on UN DESA survey data): Tajikistan scored 0.44.

 

Global trends in e-government development: 39% (76 countries) achieved "very high" EGDI scores; 32% (62 countries) had "high" EGDI scores; 23% (44 countries) fell into the "medium" category; and 6% (11 countries) were classified as "low"

 

Challenges and opportunities for Tajikistan

While Tajikistan’s relatively strong performance in the Human Capital Index (0.65) reflects the country’s educational achievements, the Online Services Index (0.44) remains a challenge, indicating underdeveloped digital government services. Improved investments in telecommunication infrastructure and expanded online service accessibility could help Tajikistan close the gap with its regional neighbors.

The EGDI has been published every two years since 2001 by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), offering a benchmark for countries to evaluate their progress in digital governance and public service delivery.