Mon, 16 Jun 2025

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 Why Ukraine is one of the world's most digital countries

Despite the war, Ukraine has developed of the most advanced systems for digital government services.
Ukraine's Digital Transformation Ministry, led by Oleksandr Bornyakov, has achieved significant progress in digitizing government services despite ongoing conflict with Russia. In 2019, the Diia app was launched to provide citizens with access to various government services from their mobile phones. The app started with driver's licenses and gained popularity during the pandemic when Covid certificates were added. Today, the app hosts over 40 government services, including tax payment, car registration, and marriage applications. Ukrainians can also use the app to select national representatives for Eurovision and access 30 documents, such as gun licenses and car insurance. The Diia portal has 130 services available for citizens and businesses, with a total of 22.7 million users. Bornyakov claims that Ukraine is one of the leading countries in digital government services, surpassing Estonia. Ukraine's success can be attributed to its skilled workforce, which includes 300,000 software developers who have worked on complex projects for international companies. This allows Ukraine to develop innovative solutions at a lower cost compared to other countries. David Eaves, an associate professor of digital government at University College London, agrees that Ukraine's data exchange system has played a crucial role in its success. The data exchange enables easy data flow between government departments and organizations, making it easier to build new services. As a result of the war, Ukraine has introduced 15 new services related to conflict resolution, such as compensation for damaged property and reporting Russian troop locations. Bornyakov believes that the urgency of delivering services during wartime has driven innovation. Ukraine is now developing AI systems to further improve government services, with plans to guide users through interactions using artificial intelligence. However, Eaves advises caution in implementing AI systems, emphasizing the need for reliable data and well-designed user interfaces to ensure success.
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