Government at a Glance 2025 - publication foreword and acknowledgements

Oct 12, 2026

Government at a Glance 2025 examines how public institutions are being tested by profound transformation and sustained challenges. It considers demographic ageing, the dual digital and green economic transitions, low trust in public institutions, stagnating productivity, and limited fiscal space. The edition highlights governance tools and resources, including a spotlight on long-term governance of the green transition, and emphasizes building trust, dignity, security, and improving government efficiency to strengthen productivity and resilience over time.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages249

Reading Time1 h 27 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Key challenges for public institutions

Focus on trust, dignity, security, and efficiency

Acknowledgements

Leadership and preparation

Government at a Glance 2025 Government at a Glance 2025 This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law. Please cite this publication as: OECD (2025), Government ata Glance 2025, OECD Publishing, Paris, [https://doi.org/10.1787/0efd0bcd-en](https://doi.org/10.1787/0efd0bcd-en). ISBN 978-92-64-36321-2 (print) ISBN 978-92-64-59508-8 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-64-31390-3 (HTML) Government at a Glance ISSN 2221-4380 (print) ISSN 2221-4399 (online) Photo credits: Cover © [Babaroga/Shutterstock.com](Babaroga/Shutterstock.com). Corrigendato OECD publications may be found at: [https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/support/corrigenda.html](https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/support/corrigenda.html).© OECD 2025 Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4 .0) This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence . By using this work, you accept to be bound by the terms of this licence ([https://creativecommons.org/l](https://creativecommons.org/l)icenses/by/4 .0/) . Attribution–you must cite the work. Translations – you must cite the original work, identify changes to the original and add the following text: In the event ofany discrepancy between the original work and the translation, only the text of original work should be considered valid. Adaptations–you must cite the original work and add the following text: This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed in this adaptation should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD orofits Member countries. Third-party material–the licence does not apply to third-party material in the work. If using such material, you are responsible for obtaining permission from the third party and for any claims of infringement. You must not use the OECD logo, visual identity or cover image without express permission or suggest the OECD endorses your use of the work. Any dispute arising under this licence shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Arbitration Rules 2012. The seat of arbitration shall be Paris (France) . The number of arbitrators shall be one. Foreword Governments across the globe are navigating a period of profound transformation and challenge. Aging populations, the twin transitions to digital and green economies, low levels of trust in public institutions, stagnating productivity, and constrained fiscal space are testing the resilience and effectiveness of public institutions like never before. In response, many governments have strengthened their approaches to public governance—through, for example, greater digitalisation, streamlined budgeting, and regulatory simplification. The imperative now is to not only sustain these efforts but to deepen them. Deepening these efforts requires governments to build trust in public institutions while fostering a renewed sense of shared prosperity. This calls for a deliberate focus on restoring individuals’ sense of dignity in their interaction with governments, enhancing individual and collective sense of security and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government to boost productivity. This edition of Government at a Glance includes a spotlight on the long-term governance of the green transition-a challenge that lies at the intersection of all three areas. As explored in greater depth in Chapter 1, how governments lead this transition will shape public trust a

FAQs

What challenges to public institutions does Government at a Glance 2025 focus on?

It highlights demographic ageing, digital and green economic transitions, low trust in public institutions, stagnating productivity, and constrained fiscal space.

What is the main theme of strengthening public governance efforts?

The report stresses deepening approaches by restoring individuals’ sense of dignity, enhancing security, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government to boost productivity.

How does this edition support evidence-based policymaking?

It presents the latest evidence on public governance tools and resources, enabling progress to be monitored over time and supporting governments in addressing complex, long-term challenges.

Oct 12, 2026

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