The government's good scores are no fluke

Friday, January 30, 2026

This is a trend we hope will never slow down: since 2021, public websites have been increasingly compliant with digital accessibility rules. Their compliance rate, which stood at 44% in 2021 and 61% in 2024, rose to 66% last year.

This average is based on the sixteen websites that underwent a full audit. The progress observed is not solely the result of a few frontrunners pushing up the average rate: only four websites failed to reach 50%, i.e. partial compliance; there were six in 2024 in a comparable sample.

Admittedly, few websites achieve full compliance, a goal enshrined in the May 2019 law, but the trajectory is reassuring.

Description of graph 1

This bar chart shows sixteen public websites targeted for comprehensive audits in 2025, listed in descending order of compliance with RAWeb criteria, from the Digital Accessibility Observatory (100%) to snhbm.lu (39%).

Below 50%, a website is not considered accessible. That is 4 out of 16 websites audited.

Similarly, apps have recovered after two difficult years (43% then 37% in 2023-2024). With a compliance rate of 48%, they are back to almost the same level as in 2022. This recovery is therefore to be welcomed, even if there is still a long way to go.

Finally, the average score of simplified audits has increased by one point compared to 2024, to 62%. Each year, in addition to the two web and mobile campaigns, the Information and press service (SIP) carries out around 100 site audits, based on small numbers of pages to be tested and criteria to be evaluated.

Description of graph 2

This bar chart shows the average levels of compliance according to whether the site belongs to the state (74%), the local level (municipalities, municipal unions, etc.&# 8239;: 57%) or other level (public institutions and similar bodies : 59%), among 93 public sites targeted for simplified audits in 2025.

Due to their number, these simplified audits allow conclusions to be drawn by administrative level. State websites perform particularly well (74%, compared with 57% for local authorities and 59% for public bodies). These proportions have remained largely unchanged from one year to the next. The figures are more flattering than those from full audits, which is understandable given the more limited scope of the assessment. However, they reflect a consistent focus on digital accessibility on the part of the development teams responsible for government websites.

Statements too often forgotten

Accessibility statements, on the other hand, fare poorly. They are essential for specifying the compliance status of a website or app and provide valuable information to people with disabilities, who can find out the details of non-compliance and contact the organisation if necessary.

However, among the websites listed by SIP, only half of them have an accessibility statement that was updated less than three years ago. This is far too few, and the situation is even more alarming for mobile applications: only 10% have an updated statement.

When a request relating to accessibility is submitted to an administration, SIP may act as a mediator: this happened six times last year. In two out of three cases, an accessible solution was provided within a month, a slightly better score than in 2024.

A Digital Accessibility Observatory to stay up to date

Launched on 2 February, the Digital Accessibility Observatory aims to better highlight the efforts made by public actors in support of this cause. It compiles data from more than 550 audits conducted since 2021 and provides tools for understanding the major trends in this field. To find out more, we invite you to read our introductory article.