The 10th anniversary of the open data maturity report
A decade of progress across Europe
The open data maturity (ODM) assessment aims to evaluate the progress of open data initiatives across Europe. In its first three years (2015–2017), ODM was measured based on two key dimensions: open data readiness and portal maturity. From 2018 onwards, the assessment evolved to incorporate four dimensions: policy, portal, quality and impact. Marking the 10th anniversary of the ODM report and the release of the 2024 edition in December, this data story delves into historical trends, offering a comparative analysis of countries and highlighting those that have achieved the most notable growth across the four dimensions since 2018, along with some of the measures they took to achieve this.
Overall maturity
Figure 1 illustrates the overall ODM of the participating countries from 2018 to 2024. While most countries achieved a high maturity score in 2024 (compared to an EU average of 83 %), countries have had different rates of progress over the years. For example, Italy has shown steady progress, consistently improving its scores each year and remaining above the EU average, with a maturity score of 80 % in 2018 (compared to an EU average of 65 %) and 94 % in 2024 (compared to an EU average of 83 %). One factor contributing to this progress is the initiatives led by the Agency for Digital Italy, which promotes open data culture through training sessions, guidelines and a three-year implementation plan.
Other nations have shown significant yet varied rates of progress. For example, Lithuania started with a relatively low overall maturity score in 2018 (46 %), saw a sharp rise by 2020 (86 %), going above the EU average, and has since maintained a steady high score (94 % in both 2023 and 2024). This progress can be partially attributed to the government’s action plan on open data, which is part of a broader national agenda.
Figure 1: Overall open data maturity performance of the participating countries across all dimensions between 2018 and 2024
Source: Open Data Maturity Report
An overview of the policy dimension
The policy dimension of ODM assesses the maturity of national open data policies, focusing on governance models and measures that align with EU open data legislation. In 2024, the policy dimension was the highest scoring, with an overall score of 91 %.
As shown in Figure 2, some countries consistently exceed the EU average in their yearly performance. An example is Slovenia, which has continuously achieved a maturity score of above 93 % since 2022. Slovenia is now implementing its digital strategy for 2030. The strategy describes data as a strategic raw material and driver of a smart society and aims to establish a dynamic data ecosystem on the national open data portal. Furthermore, it provides data providers with data standards and tools that can be used to collaborate on and develop data applications offering digital services as responses to social challenges.
Figure 2: Overview of the participating countries’ performance in the policy dimension between 2018 and 2024
Source: Open Data Maturity Report
An overview of the portal dimension
The portal dimension of the ODM assesses the features of national open data portals and the processes in place to ensure they meet the needs of users. The EU average maturity score in this dimension was 82 % in 2024.
In Figure 3, we see that Ireland has shown a steady and well-above-average increase over the years, consistently outpacing the EU average. In 2018, Ireland had a maturity score of 88 %, compared to the EU average of 65 %, and in 2024 scored 96 %, compared to the 82 % EU average. This progress is largely thanks to events like the Open Data Impact Series, where Ireland gathers user feedback and suggestions, which are then reviewed and implemented where possible to improve the portal.
Other countries have increased their maturity in the portal dimension more recently. For example, Croatia has significantly advanced its portal maturity to 87 %, compared to 72 % in 2023. The portal team has focused on enabling both official and non-official providers to publish open datasets while also aggregating data from local and regional portals across the country. By addressing challenges such as incomplete metadata harvesting, Croatia has enhanced the accessibility and usability of its national open data portal. These developments are closely aligned with emerging needs and incorporated into the broader value stream, supporting Croatia’s progress towards a comprehensive one-stop shop for open data.
Figure 3: Overview of the participating countries’ performance in the portal dimension between 2018 and 2024
Source: Open Data Maturity Report
An overview of the quality dimension
The quality dimension evaluates the efforts made by countries to ensure that metadata is sourced automatically, kept up to date and made accessible by default. This dimension has been maturing steadily over the past few years, going from an EU average maturity score of 62 % in 2018 to 79 % in 2024.
Figure 4 illustrates the performance of countries in this dimension. France is one of the top performers, with a maturity score of 100 % in 2024, compared to an EU average of 79 %. France lists several activities to encourage data holders to provide high-quality metadata, including initiatives related to data literacy and events that foster the reusability of data, highlighting the importance of quality data documentation, metadata descriptions and open data reuse.
Portugal has also demonstrated strong growth in this dimension in recent years. Their score improved by 17 percentage points from 2022 to 2023, and, in 2024, Portugal surpassed the EU average of 79 %, achieving an 86 % maturity score. For example, they have introduced data models to assess data quality and are one of the few Member States to offer more than 90 % of published data with links to other trusted sources for additional context for reusers.
Figure 4: Overview of the participating countries’ performance in the quality dimension between 2018 and 2024
Source: Open Data Maturity Report
An overview of the impact dimension
The impact dimension of ODM assesses the activities undertaken to monitor and measure the reuse of open data and the tangible outcomes generated by this reuse. This dimension has historically been the lowest scoring but has been converging with the other dimensions in recent years.
Figure 5 illustrates the varying growth patterns between countries in this dimension. Some of them, like Spain, have consistently been in touch with the open data community to understand how open data is being reused, as evidenced by several reuse cases. For this reason, Spain has been leading in this dimension for a long time. In 2018, Spain achieved the highest score (97 %), compared to the 50 % EU average. In 2024, Spain is still among the top 10 countries when it comes to impact.
In contrast, other countries have experienced more recent improvements in maturity. For example, Czechia increased its maturity greatly, from 58 % in 2021 to 100 % in 2022. This is because Czechia has had a strong focus on observing the level of reuse of open data. For instance, its public bodies organise hackathons both to support open data reuse and to investigate reuse cases. Additionally, the national open data team oversees feedback collection by data providers and reports annually on their activities.
Figure 5: Overview of the participating countries’ performance in the impact dimension between 2018 and 2024
Source: Open Data Maturity Report
Conclusion
The 10th anniversary of the ODM report marks a significant milestone for the achievements of countries across Europe in advancing their open data practices. Over the past few years, we have seen remarkable growth in the policy, portal, quality and impact dimensions, with different countries emerging as leaders in various aspects. From the creation of robust governance frameworks to innovative reuse cases, these advancements have demonstrated the power of open data to generate societal and economic benefits. This data story shows how different countries have used different approaches to increase their ODM, which can be an inspiration for other countries.
Curious about the latest developments of 2024? Check out the 2024 ODM report, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed of the latest developments in the open data landscape!