The percentage of open datasets in the world fell from 12% in 2014 to9 % in 2015, according to the last Global Open Data Index 2015, created by the Open Knowledge Foundation.

While the index shows some improvements, “progress remains slow for most governments, who are still not providing key information in an accessible format to be used, without restriction, by their citizens, civil societies, journalists and businesses”, the survey stated.

However, the mixed reviews in this 2015 index are related to an increase in the scope of the index, as more countries are taken into account (122 compared to 97 in 2014) and the number of analysed datasets is higher (up from 10 to 13 in 2015). This broadened scope is the result of a public consultation. “As a result of this, we expanded the 2015 Index to include procurement data, water quality data, land ownership data and weather data; we also removed transport timetables due to the difficulties faced when comparing transport system data globally”, OKFN said.

In this context, the UK lost its first place and now ranks second, with an overall score of 76% down from 96% in 2014. “This year’s fall in score is due largely to the 2015 dataset definitions in categories such as election results requiring more granular data and the inclusion of data on water quality and land ownership, both of which are closed in the UK”, the index stated. Taiwan is now ranked first, becoming the first non-European country to place in the top-three.

France and Germany lost ground in 2015

Some EU countries performed well in the 2015 index, such as the Netherlands (up to 8th place, from 17th in 2014), Romania (up to 13th from 16th in 2014), Bulgaria (up to 16th from 51st in 2014), Spain (up to 17th from 31st in 2014), Italy (up to 17th from 25th in 2014), Ireland (up to 31st from 36th in 2014), Belgium (up to 35th from 53rd in 2014) and Greece (up to 42nd from 54th in 2014). But like the UK, France fell significantly in the ranking, from 3rd to 10th place, and Germany, which fell from 9th to 26th place in 2015.

“While there is a lot of enthusiasm within governments for open data, the Global Open Data Index 2015 shows that this enthusiasm does not sufficiently translate into meaningful action: Key data is still not being released to the standard that is required. We call upon governments to evaluate their priorities and make sure they publish the data that their citizens need”, Pavel Richter, CEO at Open Knowledge International, said in a press release.