Bitkom Länderindex 2026: German federal states have some catching up to do in terms of digital administration

Bonn, 13 May 2026 – The new Bitkom Länderindex 2026 (Bitkom State Index 2026) reveals significant differences in the level of digitalisation across the federal states. The ranking assesses all 16 states in the areas of the digital economy, digital infrastructure, governance and administration, and the digital society. The survey is based on 30 indicators and more than 1,100 data points. Hamburg once again tops the table with 70.3 out of a possible 100 points, followed by Berlin with 63.8 points and Hesse with 63.7 points. At the bottom of the ranking are Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

States show varying levels of digital strength

The index highlights that the progress of digitalisation in Germany varies greatly from region to region. Whilst some states benefit from strong infrastructure, a vibrant economy, universities and clear structures in digital policy, others lag significantly behind. But why is this the case? Bitkom points out that digital strength does not depend solely on structural conditions, but also on strategic management, targeted investment and consistent implementation.

A closer look at the area of governance and administration provides insight into the extent to which administrative services have already been digitised and how digital policy is organised in the federal states. Factors examined included areas of responsibility, strategic direction, funding, local authority digitisation and satisfaction with digital administrative services.

“In our view, ‘Governance & Administration’ is particularly telling because this is where the digitalisation strategy directly intersects with the reality of public administration. Digital services can only function reliably if responsibilities are clearly defined, processes are well-structured and local authority requirements are considered holistically and, above all, realistically.” — Jörg Sager, CEO of linqi

Governance & Administration scores an average of 54.6 points

In the area of Governance & Administration, the federal states achieve an average index score of 54.6 points. This figure shows that a large proportion of the potential for digital performance has not yet been realised. This becomes particularly clear when looking at administrative practice. Digital administrative services must not only be available, but must also be able to be processed, managed and documented in a traceable manner internally.

Bitkom cites, amongst other things, dedicated digital ministries, CIO or CDO structures, acceleration budgets, the mandatory use of shared components and the swift implementation of the OZG as key factors for stronger digital development. This brings to the fore not only the question of whether digital targets have been set, but also how firmly they are embedded within administrative structures.

linqi supports digital administrative processes

linqi empowers public institutions and authorities to digitise their internal processes in practice. Using the no-code platform, processes such as application processing, approval workflows, verification procedures or documentation requirements can be digitally mapped without every initiative having to be set up as a traditional IT project. Implementation is carried out in compliance with the GDPR and with hosting in Germany.

“We know from practical experience that many administrative processes are not complicated by the individual task itself, but by handover points, queries, media breaks and a lack of transparency. With linqi, such workflows can be structured in such a way that information, responsibilities and processing statuses are consolidated in one place.” — Christian Korda, Head of Sales at linqi

The Bitkom Länderindex 2026 (Bitkom State Index 2026) therefore not only shows which states are leading the way in the digital comparison. It also highlights where public administration needs to make further gains in terms of management capabilities, process clarity and digital end-to-end integration. For states, local authorities and public institutions, the key task remains to translate digital strategies into robust administrative processes.

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