Government Effectiveness Indicator

Latest Values (Reporting Year: 2023)

Definition, Source, and Methodology

Government effectiveness, as measured by the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the quality of the civil service and the degree of its independence from political pressures, the quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of the government's commitment to such policies. The scores range from -2.5 to +2.5, where higher values indicate better governance and more effective public institutions.

Government Effectiveness Indicator for each country within a regional grouping is weighted by population in each country to focus on the governance experience of the average person in the region. The data is sourced from the World Bank.

Source:

• World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024 Update, accessed April 10, 2025, https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators.
• World Bank, Population, Total, accessed April 10, 2025, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.

Discussion

The Global Developing World averaged a slightly negative Government Effectiveness score (-0.07), indicating modest governance challenges. Emerging Asia (0.43) scored highest, reflecting relatively effective public institutions, while Emerging Europe (-0.36) and Latin America (-0.44) showed weaker governance. The Middle East & Central Asia (-0.75) and Sub-Saharan Africa (-0.80) had the lowest scores, signaling significant inefficiencies in policy implementation and public services. Global Advanced Economies (1.24) showed strong governance, reflecting high-quality public services and effective policy implementation. Scores range from -2.5 (weak) to +2.5 (strong), weighted by population. Countries are grouped according to the International Monetary Fund country groupings.

Why it matters for the OPEC Fund

Effective public institutions are essential for service delivery, policy credibility, and creating an enabling environment for inclusive and sustainable growth. The OPEC Fund supports stronger governance systems through its operations across priority areas as outlined in the Review and Update of OPEC Fund Strategic Framework 2030—specifically Human Capital, Institutional Capacity, and Private Sector and Trade—contributing to improved public-sector performance and better development outcomes in partner countries. This indicator aligns with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).