Governments can strengthen public trust by ensuring meaningful public engagement in decision-making, using tools such as spending reviews and digital technologies to increase efficiency and enhancing access to justice and public services, according to a new OECD report. Government at a Glance 2025 highlights the mounting fiscal pressures across OECD countries, with public debt reaching 112% of GDP in 2024 - up from 73% in 2007.
The report shows how these fiscal pressures come as action is needed to respond to demographic, green and digital transitions, and low levels of public trust, with fewer than four in ten people (39%) across OECD countries reporting trust in their national government, and only 37% believing their government effectively balances the interests of current and future generations.
"Governments today need to foster citizens' trust as they manage immediate fiscal pressures and navigate long-term structural transformations, including demographic change, the green transition and digitalisation," OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. "Government at a Glance 2025 provides evidence-based recommendations to ensure efficient and effective public service delivery that responds to citizens' expectations and needs, while strengthening government finances and laying the foundation for strong, sustainable and inclusive growth."
Published every two years, Government at a Glance is the OECD's flagship publication on public governance, providing a comprehensive overview of government activities and performance. The 2025 edition presents the latest available data on government finances, employment, institutions, budgeting practices, risk management, and citizen satisfaction. Drawing on the evidence in this year's report, the OECD outlines three key areas where governments can work to strengthen public trust and promote prosperity.
Enhancing citizens' sense of dignity in their interactions with government by strengthening meaningful public engagement in decision-making is a key recommendation. Only 30% of people on average believe the political system in their country allows citizens to have a say in government actions, and there are opportunities to enhance the quality of stakeholder engagement in the legislative process.
To boost citizen engagement, governments are increasingly turning to deliberative democratic practices, such as citizens' assemblies, juries, and public dialogues. Between 1979 and 2023, the OECD recorded 716 such processes, with 20% (148) occurring between 2021 and 2023 alone. To remain meaningful, participants must be given feedback on these processes and feel that their inputs have led to action.
The report also emphasises the need to strengthen systems to respond to citizens' expectations in the face of rapid societal and economic changes. In most OECD countries economic issues dominate people's concerns. Inflation tops the list (59%), followed by poverty and social inequality (33%), and unemployment and jobs (22%). Youth unemployment remains a particular concern, with an average of 12.6% of young people not in employment, education, or training in 2023. Governments must continue expanding education and training opportunities to help younger people participate in and benefit from economic growth and establish more secure career trajectories.
Access to justice is also key to citizens' wider sense of security. To this end, governments need to step up efforts to ensure affordable, accessible and independent justice systems.
Boosting government efficiency and effectiveness will improve citizens' well-being and trust in government. The report shows significant potential for governments to leverage technology and data for improved performance. Currently, 60% of OECD countries are using data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and mobile technologies to drive procurement efficiency, yet substantial gaps remain in data accessibility. On average, only 47% of OECD governments' high-value datasets are available as open data, falling to just 37% of education datasets and 42% of health and social welfare datasets.
Governments can also make better use of budgeting tools such as spending reviews to optimise existing resources, prevent excessive debt, and ensure public money delivers lasting benefits. These reviews can also leverage data, digital tools, and AI to maximise their effectiveness.
The report also shows that there is further space to simplify regulations for people and businesses. In support of these efforts, the OECD's Simplifying for Success (S4S) Initiative promotes global efforts to reduce regulatory burden through streamlined regulations and administrative processes.
Governing for the green transition - the topic of a special chapter in this year's report - illustrates the scope and scale of the long-term challenges governments face, as well as the critical importance of environmental policy co-ordination as countries work toward climate goals while managing economic and social impacts.
Twenty-three OECD countries have enshrined emissions targets into law and 5 more are proposing to do so, while nearly half of OECD countries have also established dedicated independent advisory bodies to guide and monitor progress. However, detailed data on their roles and powers remain scarce, indicating the need for clearer frameworks. Similarly, green public procurement (GPP) frameworks have been adopted by 35 out of 38 OECD countries, but only 11 countries are developing methodologies to measure their environmental impact, such as the amount of emissions mitigated.
Assessing the environmental impact of new laws, ensuring alignment with sustainability goals and meeting clearly defined objectives will help build the broad societal consensus required for a successful green transition.
To access the full report, data, and summary, visit: https://doi.org/10.1787/0efd0bcd-en.
