The UAE has positioned itself as a global leader in digital government, ranking consistently in the top five of the UN E-Government Development Index. The We the UAE 2031 programme targets 100 per cent digital availability of federal services, 90 per cent citizen satisfaction with digital channels, and complete elimination of paper-based transactions across all government entities. These targets build on substantial progress but require closing the adoption gap in complex services.
Digital Service Adoption Progress
| Metric | 2022 Baseline | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (est.) | 2031 Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services available digitally (%) | 82% | 87% | 91% | 94% | 100% |
| Digital transaction share (%) | 68% | 74% | 79% | 83% | 95% |
| Citizen satisfaction (%) | 86% | 87% | 89% | 90% | 90%+ |
| Paperless entities (federal) | 12/50 | 18/50 | 28/50 | 35/50 | 50/50 |
| UAE Pass registered users (Mn) | 4.2 | 5.8 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 12.0+ |
Service Digitisation by Category (2024)
| Service Category | Total Services | Digitised | Digital Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration and residency | 145 | 142 | 97.9% |
| Business licensing | 210 | 198 | 94.3% |
| Health and insurance | 88 | 79 | 89.8% |
| Education and certification | 62 | 55 | 88.7% |
| Land and property | 95 | 78 | 82.1% |
| Labour and employment | 120 | 108 | 90.0% |
| Justice and legal | 75 | 58 | 77.3% |
Progress Rate Analysis
The UAE’s digital government acceleration has been exceptional in transactional services — visa renewals, licence applications, and fee payments — where digital adoption exceeds 90 per cent. The remaining gap is concentrated in complex, multi-party services such as property registration, court proceedings, and inter-governmental approvals that require document verification and physical attestation steps not yet fully digitised.
UAE Pass adoption has been the primary enabler, growing from 4.2 million users in 2022 to an estimated 9 million by end-2025. The platform now serves as the unified digital identity for over 6,000 government and private sector services, reducing fragmentation across emirate-level platforms. However, adoption among older residents and certain worker demographics remains lower than the national average.
Risk Factors
| Risk | Severity | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity threats to digital platforms | High | Erodes public trust in digital services |
| Digital divide among older demographics | Medium | Prevents full paper elimination |
| Legacy system integration complexity | Medium | Delays complex service digitisation |
| Data privacy and governance concerns | Medium | May slow data-sharing across entities |
| Vendor lock-in with platform providers | Low-Medium | Increases long-term costs |
Outlook
The 100 per cent digital availability target is within reach by 2028 given current digitisation rates. The more challenging objective is eliminating paper-based transactions entirely, which requires not just making digital options available but ensuring they are the mandatory default channel. Justice, property, and inter-governmental services represent the final frontier. Citizen satisfaction already meets the 90 per cent target, suggesting the quality of digital services is adequate — the remaining challenge is completeness and compulsion.
Current Assessment: On Track — high-adoption services driving progress, complex services require focused effort.