Other strong performers were Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Finland.
The International Civil Service Effectiveness (InCiSE) Index – the first of its kind – used data sources from 31 countries to assess how well a country’s central government civil service performed.
They were assessed on overall effectiveness and on functions that include tax administration, inclusiveness, capabilities, openness, integrity, human resources management, crisis/risk management, regulation, fiscal and financial management, digital service, social security administration and policymaking.
The index is a collaboration between the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government and the Institute for Government, which said the findings would enable civil servants to see where countries performed well and identify areas for improvement.
The top 10 most effective civil services were:
• Canada
• New Zealand
• Australia
• United Kingdom
• Finland
• Sweden
• Estonia
• Norway
• South Korea
• United States of America
However, adjusting scores for countries by gross domestic product gave a sharply different order, with the top 10 becoming:
• Estonia
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• South Korea
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Finland
• Chile
• Australia
• Turkey
Commenting on the findings, Professor Ngaire Woods, dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, said: “An effective civil service can play a central role in driving forward a country’s progress and prosperity.
“The InCiSE index will help both governments and citizens identify how well their civil service is functioning and how it can learn to improve from the best performers.”
Julian McCrae, deputy director of the Institute for Government, added: “This index can help governments around the world, including in the UK, successfully negotiate the immense challenges they face by allowing civil service leaders to identify other countries from whom they can learn.
“Our aim is to encourage collaboration in vital areas such as the adaption of digital technology, and to provide a transparent account to the public of how countries are doing.”