Almost two-thirds of Russians have already used electronic public services

Among state and municipal e-services among Russians, healthcare services are the most popular — in 2021, 44.6% of all residents of the country applied for them, according to the HSE Institute for Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge (ISIEZ). Health-related services lead in all age groups, but then age differences begin. Young people (15–25 years old) have a high demand for educational services, middle-aged people (25–54 years old) have a high demand for interaction with the tax authorities and the Ministry of Internal Affairs / Traffic Police, older people (over 65 years old) have a high demand for social security services and Housing and communal services.

The ISSEK notes that in 2019–2021, the share of Russians aged 15 and over who received state or municipal services in electronic form increased from 53.5% to 63.8%. At the same time, the greatest growth occurred during the period of severe pandemic restrictions. The share of Russians registered on the Gosuslugi portal also increased: from 55.9% to 74.5%.

Most often, citizens turn to websites and portals of state or municipal services to obtain information (48% of the total population aged 15 years and older). According to this indicator, the Russian Federation ranks 24th in Europe (out of 37). The leaders are Denmark (91%), Finland (86%) and Sweden (85%). 36% of Russians on portals make an appointment with government agencies, 35% make payments, 28% send completed forms and applications.

Experts predict that the audience of users of electronic services will grow, including due to the expansion of the functionality of portals. In early November, Maksut Shadayev, head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, reported that the number of verified accounts on Gosuslugi had already exceeded 100 million.

In 2022, the Russian Federation took 42nd out of 93 places in the ranking of countries in terms of the level of e-government development. UN experts classified Russia as one of the countries with a “very high” level of the corresponding index (EGDI), which was largely due to good indicators of human capital development, as well as the prevalence of telecom infrastructure. At the same time, it was noted that this group of countries should pay more attention to improving the provision of online services (see Kommersant of October 11).

Venera Petrova