Asia Pacific Shows Strongest Governance Improvement, Singapore Tops Chandler Index

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Asia Pacific recorded the strongest improvement of any region in the latest 2026 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), with 79 per cent of governments in the region recording higher scores, while Singapore retained the top global ranking for the fourth consecutive year.

The CGGI, now in its sixth year, assesses the capabilities and effectiveness of 133 governments across seven pillars, namely Leadership & Foresight, Robust Laws & Policies, Strong Institutions, Financial Stewardship, Attractive Marketplace, Global Influence & Reputation, and Helping People Rise.

The findings were presented by Chandler Governance Group (CGG) Director (Knowledge), Dinesh Naidu, at a joint session on future-ready governance in Asia and the Pacific, held as part of the OECD-UNDP-OPDC “Transforming Public Services in Thailand” programme in Bangkok.

Naidu said the region's progress demonstrated that sustained investment in institutions and public service delivery could deliver improvements despite a difficult global environment.

“The region improved across six of the Index's seven pillars since 2021, which suggests deliberate, sustained capability building in areas that matter most to citizens,” said Naidu in a statement.

The 19 Asia Pacific countries assessed recorded the largest improvement in average overall score of any region since 2021, with five countries ranking among the global top 20, namely Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.

The region's strongest gains were recorded in the Strong Institutions and Helping People Rise pillars, although progress was uneven. Thailand ranked 58th globally, with its Financial Stewardship performance ranking 18th.

The session also introduced the Future-Ready Governance Index (FRGI), a new benchmarking tool being jointly developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and CGG to help governments across Asia Pacific respond to uncertainty, structural transformation and growing complexity.

Naidu said the CGGI provides governments with an evidence base to identify areas requiring stronger capabilities, while the FRGI is intended to help governments build capabilities to prepare for future challenges.

-- BERNAMA