And is it worth the cost?
Digitizing government is big business. Although we don't know exactly how much has been spent by all the different governments all around the world, we do know how much some big organisations have been spending to help. For example, since 1991, the World Bank (a big international organisation that helps countries with their development efforts) alone has spent almost $80 billion on projects in this field. That's the same as the whole economy of Sri Lanka in 2018!
Source: World Bank
Data visualisation from: D3
If you look at the chart, it's interesting to see that since a peak in 2009, the World Bank has gradually scaled back its investment in digitalization projects. Why do you think this might be?
Perhaps because individual governments are now spending much more on their own digitalization efforts so don't need as much help? You can read more about some governments' digitalization work in the 'learn more' tab.
Imagine what could be done with $80 billion if it was spent in other ways! Clearly, governments think this digitalization business is a big deal and is worth spending a lot of money on. So let's continue and find out what all that cash is being spent on!