Qatar in top group for best digital govt services: BCG survey Qatar in top quintile for superior digital government services: BCG survey

Qatar has scored in the top quintile of all countries surveyed in terms of superior digital government services that meet the high standards set by residents, with a net satisfaction score of 86%, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The country respondents have welcomed digital government adoption, with 58% accessing related services through online channels at least once per week – higher than the global average of 49%, BCG said in a report.
"Strong adoption and delivery, and higher implications for emerging digital government services have placed Qatar in first position globally", indicating that the digital government services have become an integral part of residents’ daily life in the Qatar since the outbreak of the pandemic, the report said.
In 2022, Covid-related services have emerged as a benchmark for customer expectations, with their fast go-to-market times, frequent new feature updates, and advanced functionality, Rami Mourtada, Partner and Director, Digital Transformation, BCG, said.
"In fact, the most used digital government services in Qatar echo global patterns, with Covid-related services ranking number one both regionally and globally,” it said.
Overall, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (including Qatar) offer more sophisticated digital government services, which equates to more complex transactions – including registering or using a job search, accessing Covid-19 services, and processing visa, residency, or work permits – which all rank higher in terms of usage than the global averages, where simple transactions like accessing information are still more common, according to him.
This level of integration is particularly significant in light of people’s high expectations. The vast majority of the GCC residents expect their government to provide services comparable to the best private companies in the world or global digital leaders, the report said.
These include auto-filling forms with available customer data, tailoring or recommending additional offerings, and even automating complex tasks like travel bookings or loan approvals. When governments enter this traditionally private-sector territory, they must make a balanced trade-off between convenience on one hand and concerns about privacy on the other.
"Artificial Intelligence or AI is truly versatile and can be applied in any sector to help decision-making; the Qatar 2022 World Cup is a great example. As enablers of increasing personalisation and proactivity, AI like digital ID, will become more prevalent in the future of digital government services, and Qatar is leading the way,” said Dr. Lars Littig, Managing Director and Partner BCG.
Harold Haddad, Managing Director &land Partner, BCG said “Qatar holds a unique position globally in education, government and the private sector which together are shaping a bold research-to-start-up pipeline that is paving the way towards an ethical commercial sustainability in AI.”
Semyon Schetinin, Managing Director and Partner, BCG, said the pandemic has driven strong adoption and delivery, and with higher implications for emerging digital government services.
Highlighting that Qatar has risen as a leader in the field, advancing personalised, proactive service delivery, he said overall, the country should continue to track people’s evolving needs, while innovating and investing in technology that yields efficiency gains, community benefits, and most importantly, value for residents.