V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Government Cyber Security Capacity
Government cyber security capacity by country
Can the government defend itself against cyber attacks?
Estonia placed first of the 176 countries compared in 2025, at 3.715, and Liberia last, at -2.660. In the middle country the figure was 0.196. Among the 175 countries measured in every edition since 2000, the middle one moved from -0.514 to 0.201.
Government cyber security capacity · 2025
Key statistic · Digital & Technology
Highest of 176Estonia
3.715012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 176 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0 ee, greyscale
2Photo: Yaniv Ben-Arie derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3Photo: Seebeer Edited by Nicholasjf21 · Public domain, greyscale
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Egypt2.662 - Americas
United States2.555 - Asia
Israel3.497 - EuropeEstonia3.715
- Oceania
New Zealand0.690 - Every region
02Every measured country
Government cyber security capacity on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- -2.660–-0.861
- -0.799–-0.156
- -0.141–0.506
- 0.514–1.277
- 1.344–3.715
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
0.828
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Estonia3.715
Albania-1.477Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
0.520
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Israel3.497
Timor-Leste-1.779Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
-0.130
the middle country, of 27 measured · 48 members
United States2.555
Haiti-2.507Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
-0.149
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
New Zealand0.690
Solomon Islands-1.869Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
-0.295
the middle country, of 55 measured · 55 members
Egypt2.662
Liberia-2.660Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Eastern Asia
2.231
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
China3.226
Mongolia-0.040Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Northern Europe
1.366
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Estonia3.715
Iceland-0.579Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
1.166
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Poland2.563
Slovakia-0.799Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Northern Africa
1.002
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Egypt2.662
Libya-2.065Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Europe
0.930
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
France1.960
Austria-0.083Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Western Asia
0.718
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Israel3.497
Yemen-1.301Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Southern Europe
0.110
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Spain2.006Albania-1.477Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Africa
0.075
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Côte d’Ivoire0.810Liberia-2.660Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- South America
-0.096
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Chile1.601
Guyana-1.600Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Africa
-0.196
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa0.517
Lesotho-0.696Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Caribbean
-0.213
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Cuba0.601Haiti-2.507Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- South-eastern Asia
-0.227
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Singapore2.689Timor-Leste-1.779Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
-0.373
the middle country, of 19 measured · 19 members
Ethiopia2.223
Malawi-1.788Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Central America
-0.382
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Mexico0.231
Guatemala-1.533Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Southern Asia
-0.386
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
India1.008
Afghanistan-1.031Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Central Asia
-0.589
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan1.097
Turkmenistan-0.787Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Middle Africa
-0.739
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Gabon0.383
Cameroon-1.244Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand0.690
Australia0.685Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu-0.141Solomon Islands-1.869Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
United States2.555
Canada1.344Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
176 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.196; a quarter are above 0.950, and a quarter below -0.669. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. ⚠ This measures capability, not restraint: a state that can defend its networks can also turn the same skills on its own people, and some of the most capable governments are among the least free. It covers the government's own capacity, not how secure businesses or households are online.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052000–2025 · 26 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 2000, when V-Dem's questions on digital society begin, all of them re-estimated together in the v16 release. The scale has no fixed ends, so read the movement and the gap to other countries rather than the number on its own.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 175 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 176 | 0.196 | -0.669 – 0.950 | 0.201 |
| 2024 | 176 | 0.111 | -0.681 – 1.013 | 0.127 |
| 2023 | 176 | 0.136 | -0.707 – 1.117 | 0.145 |
| 2022 | 176 | 0.156 | -0.811 – 1.107 | 0.185 |
| 2021 | 176 | 0.121 | -0.783 – 0.996 | 0.127 |
| 2020 | 176 | 0.121 | -0.811 – 0.904 | 0.127 |
| 2019 | 176 | 0.097 | -0.885 – 0.926 | 0.097 |
| 2018 | 176 | -0.047 | -0.910 – 0.934 | -0.021 |
| 2017 | 176 | -0.077 | -0.910 – 0.934 | -0.072 |
| 2016 | 176 | -0.096 | -0.958 – 0.911 | -0.089 |
| 2015 | 176 | -0.171 | -0.988 – 0.843 | -0.164 |
| 2014 | 176 | -0.206 | -1.030 – 0.835 | -0.196 |
| 2013 | 176 | -0.206 | -1.047 – 0.823 | -0.196 |
| 2012 | 176 | -0.252 | -1.068 – 0.785 | -0.234 |
| 2011 | 176 | -0.323 | -1.166 – 0.753 | -0.313 |
| 2010 | 175 | -0.313 | -1.126 – 0.710 | -0.313 |
| 2009 | 175 | -0.499 | -1.237 – 0.629 | -0.499 |
| 2008 | 175 | -0.514 | -1.237 – 0.560 | -0.514 |
| 2007 | 175 | -0.514 | -1.233 – 0.555 | -0.514 |
| 2006 | 175 | -0.548 | -1.287 – 0.499 | -0.548 |
| 2005 | 175 | -0.548 | -1.357 – 0.475 | -0.548 |
| 2004 | 175 | -0.548 | -1.357 – 0.474 | -0.548 |
| 2003 | 175 | -0.548 | -1.375 – 0.474 | -0.548 |
| 2002 | 175 | -0.514 | -1.357 – 0.474 | -0.514 |
| 2001 | 175 | -0.514 | -1.357 – 0.472 | -0.514 |
| 2000 | 175 | -0.514 | -1.357 – 0.451 | -0.514 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Guinea-0.777 → 0.642 · 140th → 61st+1.419
Burkina Faso-0.635 → 0.553 · 128th → 66th+1.188
Niger-1.193 → -0.080 · 153rd → 99th+1.113- Egypt1.554 → 2.662 · 28th → 6th+1.108
El Salvador-1.882 → -0.997 · 173rd → 150th+0.885
176 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Government cyber security capacity in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
3.715
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
Lowest reading on record
-3.595
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
Biggest improvement between editions
+2.606
-1.034 → 1.572
Biggest decline between editions
−2.117
1.538 → -0.579
Most improved since first measured
+3.796
-1.573 → 2.223
At the top most often
25 of 26
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About government cyber security capacity
V-Dem's measure of government cyber-security capacity asks whether a state has the skilled staff and resources to protect itself against cyber attacks, from none at all to attacks by highly skilled actors. It is an expert-coded estimate on an open-ended scale centred near zero, and a higher figure means more capacity.
What the number is: Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity.
What it does not measure
It measures whether the state can counter cyber threats, not how it uses that capacity, and not how secure businesses or households are online.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
A key statistic for Digital & Technology
“Whether the state has the skilled people and resources to defend its own systems against cyber attack — the security side of a government's readiness to use technology, which the AI and GovTech readiness measures leave out.”
- Edition used
- 2025 (data 2025)
- Countries
- 176
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 4.0
Moves with
Where government cyber security capacity is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Government AI Readiness IndexKeyOxford Insights · 173 countries in commonρ 0.72
- GitHub RepositoriesGitHub · 174 countries in commonρ 0.66
- GitHub DevelopersGitHub · 174 countries in commonρ 0.65
Moves against
Where government cyber security capacity is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 175 countries in commonρ −0.56
- Prevalence of UndernourishmentFAO · 157 countries in commonρ −0.54
- Prevalence of Severe Food InsecurityKeyFAO · 127 countries in commonρ −0.54
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 309 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Government cyber security capacity: questions and answers
Which country has the highest government cyber security capacity?
Estonia, at 3.715, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest government cyber security capacity?
Liberia, at -2.660, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Government Cyber Security Capacity cover?
176 in 2025. The number measured varies from 175 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average government cyber security capacity?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 176 compared in 2025, the figure was 0.196.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Government Cyber Security Capacity published?
This site holds 26 reference years, 2000–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 26 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Full+Others dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg — this indicator is a Digital Society Project question not in the smaller Core file — published under CC BY-SA 4.0. The series starts in 2000, when V-Dem's questions on digital society begin. Stored as the measurement model's original estimate, not V-Dem's 0–4 rescaling. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Government Cyber Security Capacity — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Full+Others dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg — this indicator is a Digital Society Project question not in the smaller Core file — published under CC BY-SA 4.0. The series starts in 2000, when V-Dem's questions on digital society begin. Stored as the measurement model's original estimate, not V-Dem's 0–4 rescaling.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Estonia — Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
- Israel — Yaniv Ben-Arie derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי, CC BY-SA 2.0
- China — Seebeer Edited by Nicholasjf21, Public domain
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Government cyber security capacity by country: Government Cyber Security Capacity, data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/cyber-security-capacity