Government Effectiveness Indicator

Most recent values

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, https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators.
• World Bank, Population, Total, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.

Discussion

The Global Developing World recorded a Government Effectiveness score of -0.01 in 2024, representing a slight improvement from the previous year. Emerging and Developing Asia (0.45) recorded the highest score, while Emerging and Developing Europe (-0.12) and Latin America and the Caribbean (-0.26) remained below zero. The Middle East and Central Asia (-0.62) and Sub-Saharan Africa (-0.76) recorded the lowest scores. 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).