Digitalization in the public sector: Building a smart, inclusive digital nation. Where does Luxembourg stand now?

Luxembourg may be one of Europe’s smallest nations, but when it comes to public sector digitization, it punches well above its weight. Positioned at the intersection of technology, finance, and governance, the Grand Duchy has embraced digital transformation not as a buzzword, but as a guiding principle of state modernization. Today, Luxembourg is on a mission to become a truly smart nation where technology serves as the backbone of transparent governance, inclusive services, and agile policy.

A national vision for digital transformation

Digitization in Luxembourg's public sector is underpinned by the government’s comprehensive strategy through Digital Luxembourg, launched in 2014. It serves not only as a platform but as a mindset model - a collaborative framework across ministries, municipalities, private stakeholders, and civil society organizations.

This whole-of-government approach is reinforced by the Ministry for Digitalization, created in 2018 to oversee and accelerate digital progress across the administration. The Ministry acts as the central coordinating body, working with the Centre des Technologies de l’Information de l’État (CTIE) to provide the digital infrastructure, frameworks, and project management tools that ensure coherence and interoperability.

Digital rankings and readiness

Luxembourg is consistently among the EU's top digital performers. In the 2022 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), the country ranked 8th out of 27 EU Member States,  with particularly high scores in connectivity and digital public services. Key highlights:

• With 96.5% of households with high-speed broadband access, Luxembourg has the 2nd highest high-speed internet coverage in the EU. 
• Over 94% of public services are available online. 
• 87%% of citizens have used the internet to interact with public authorities in the past year, well above the EU average. 
• The country boasts one of the highest rates of secure digital identity use per capita in the EU.

These figures reflect a mature digital ecosystem that supports both citizen and business needs.

MyGuichet.lu: At the heart of eGovernment

Luxembourg’s flagship digital platform, MyGuichet.lu, is a cornerstone of eGovernment services. Operated by the CTIE, it is a secure, one-stop portal enabling residents and companies to carry out administrative procedures online - anytime, anywhere.

As of 2023, MyGuichet.lu offers over 250 digital procedures across domains like health, social security, business licensing, construction permits, and education. In 2023, it handled over 3.2 million transactions, representing a 28% increase compared to2022.

Thanks to LuxTrust, the national provider of digital identity and e-signatures, users can securely log in, sign documents, and access personal data with the highest standards of trust and compliance. More than 750,000 active LuxTrust users rely on this service, covering the majority of the adult population.

Cloud and infrastructure: The digital backbone

A critical enabler of this digital evolution is Luxembourg’s strong IT infrastructure. The public sector increasingly leverages GovCloud, a sovereign, high-performance cloud environment developed by the CTIE. It enables flexible, secure, and scalable hosting of digital services while complying with EU data sovereignty standards.

Additionally, the state is investing in hybrid IT models that blend private cloud solutions with public cloud offerings from trusted European providers, ensuring both agility and resilience.

The Luxembourg National Interoperability Framework helps ensure that data and systems across ministries can communicate effectively, while cybersecurity measures are bolstered by GovCERT and the Interministerial Committee for Information Security.

Data and Transparency: From Open access to smart governance

The government’s open data portal, data.public.lu, hosts over 2,800 datasets from more than 50 public institutions. These datasets empower citizens, startups, and researchers to analyze, build, and innovate. Use cases range from mobility apps using real-time traffic data, to environmental monitoring tools based on climate datasets.

Moreover, Luxembourg has committed to data-driven policy. Ministries now use analytics and data visualization tools to inform decisions in areas like urban planning, health policy, and labor market forecasting.

The country is also a forerunner in semantic interoperability, with government metadata standards aligning with European frameworks, supporting multilingualism and cross-border administrative integration.

Inclusion: Leaving no one behind

Luxembourg’s digital journey is deliberately inclusive. The Digital Inclusion program, coordinated by the Ministry for Digitalisation, offers free courses, digital coaching, and access to devices for underserved groups. In 2023, over 6,500 individuals benefited from these services, including senior citizens, people with disabilities, and newcomers with limited digital literacy.

The state also funds public access points known as “Bureaux d’Accès Public à Internet (BAPI)”, located in libraries and community centers, ensuring every resident has the opportunity to participate in the digital world.

In schools, the Digital Learning Strategy 2021-2025 promotes coding, media literacy, and cloud-based collaboration tools. The government is investing over €60 million in digital education tools and infrastructure.

Civic engagement and digital democracy

Luxembourg is one of the few countries experimenting with e-democracy tools at the national level. Citizens can participate in digital public consultations, share feedback on draft legislation, and even contribute to thematic policy dialogues online.

The platform Zesumme-Versiounen.lu, launched in 2022, invites citizens to propose edits or comment directly on proposed laws, an innovative step toward participatory governance.

These efforts are reinforced by initiatives such as Hackathons for Public Good, where citizens, developers, and civil servants co-create prototypes to solve civic challenges using government data and APIs.

AI, automation, and the future

As Luxembourg looks ahead, artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), and predictive analytics are key priorities. Several ministries are piloting AI tools to improve service response times, automate back-office tasks, and enhance fraud detection.

The government also funds GovTech Lab Luxembourg, an innovation incubator that collaborates with startups and academia to co-develop user-centric digital solutions. Recent challenges tackled include intelligent document processing and automated service notifications.

Luxembourg’s participation in European initiatives such as GAIA-X, European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), and Once-Only Principle projects further strengthens its role in shaping the future of digital governance in the EU.

By 2030, the country aims to meet or exceed all targets of the EU’s Digital Decade, including 100% online accessibility of key services, and full digital identity adoption across sectors.

Conclusion: A digital government by design

Luxembourg’s public sector transformation is not accidental: it is by design. Strategic vision, consistent investment, and a focus on user-centricity have made the country a leader in digital governance. From cloud-first policies and open data, to digital inclusion and AI experimentation, Luxembourg is redefining what public service looks like in the digital age.

As global challenges demand smarter governance, Luxembourg’s model offers an inspiring blueprint: a small, resilient state building a big, inclusive digital future.