World Bank2023-03-012023-03-062023-03-012023-03-062023https://hdl.handle.net/10986/39479Mobile phones have become the main communication tool and helped countless people to improve their lives in many countries. The use of mobile phones has grown exponentially over the past 30 years from 11 million subscriptions in 1990 to 8.6 billion in 2021.1 Ninety-five percent of the world’s population now has access to a mobile network. Acknowledging the ubiquitous presence of mobile phones in our lives, European Union governments have embraced the paradigm shift from electronic government (eGov) to mobile phone-based access to government services (mGov) through the Berlin Declaration 2020. The rationale was simple: even if governments have implemented eGovernment portals and online solutions, not everyone has access to the internet via a laptop or personal computer. Mobile phones, on the other hand, are almost universal. Though 17 percent of people in least developed countries still lack mobile access, active broadband subscriptions are increasing fast in all regions of the world, topped by Africa with 28 percent growth and Asia with 27 percent between 2018 and 2020. Mobile phones are thus helping more and more people connect to the jobs, business opportunities, and services they need to escape poverty.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOGOVERNANCEMOBILE GOVERNMENTDIGITAL IDENTITYINFORMATION SECURITYHOLISTIC APPROACHReportWorld Bank