UAE Ranks First Globally in Citizen Satisfaction with Digital Government Services

The UAE has secured the top global ranking in a recent study evaluating citizen satisfaction with digital government services, establishing a robust foundation for upcoming artificial intelligence-powered initiatives. According to a survey by Boston Consulting Group involving roughly 48,500 respondents, nearly 90 per cent of participants in the Emirates rated these digital offerings highly, outperforming 43 other countries. The findings were unveiled on the sidelines of the AI Everything summit in Abu Dhabi.

Furthermore, the UAE claimed the number one position for the utilization of digital government services at 53 per cent. More than three quarters of respondents asserted that their most recent online government transaction delivered a superior experience compared to typical interactions with the private sector. This trend is evident across the Gulf region—represented in the study by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar—which emerged as the sole surveyed region where a majority of citizens evaluated government services as outperforming the private sector.

“The UAE’s strong digital government experience reflects years of investment in making public services more accessible, seamless and responsive to citizens’ needs,” stated Rami Mourtada, a partner and director at BCG.

Citizens across the Gulf are demonstrating growing neutrality toward artificial intelligence adoption, with 53 per cent of participants in the UAE indicating that the benefits of AI outweigh its risks. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Qatar recorded figures of 50 per cent and 46 per cent respectively, bringing the regional average to 49 per cent. This significantly exceeds the figures recorded in Europe at 27 per cent, North America at 30 per cent, the Asia-Pacific at 36 per cent, and globally at 36 per cent.

The report additionally identified the Gulf as the most AI-receptive region globally, with nearly 80 per cent of citizens expressing openness toward AI-driven government interactions, compared to a 66 per cent global average.

“Governments have an opportunity to build on this foundation, with more AI-enabled experiences and process re-engineering to continue focusing on quality and convenience,” Mr Mourtada added. “This next phase will be about deploying AI where it creates clear value, while maintaining human expertise for more complex citizen needs.”

The integration of artificial intelligence and related technologies has become a key priority for the UAE, serving as the Arab world's second-largest economy as it plans for the future. The nation's strategy centers on delivering seamless government services supported by dependable and secure AI systems to optimize time and reduce expenses. The Emirates continues to foster entrepreneurship and draw investment to drive its artificial intelligence agenda forward. A report released on Monday by data science firm Dataiku highlighted that organizations and companies in the UAE exhibit some of the highest rates of agentic AI adoption worldwide.

“As citizens become more familiar with AI, building literacy and trust will be critical to sustained adoption,” noted Lars Littig, managing director and senior partner at BCG. “The opportunity is to move forward with AI in ways that reflect how citizens want to engage, expanding automation and agentic capabilities where they create value, while retaining human judgment and embedding responsible safeguards where they matter most.”