Kyiv, 4 March 2026 – The number of government websites with a high level of basic accessibility has increased more than four times over the year – from seven in 2024 to 29 in 2025. That’s according to the results of the latest study of the basic accessibility of 100 websites of the executive authorities, which was conducted in 2025 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. 

In total, 52 of the 100 websites tested already have a sufficient or high level of basic accessibility. At the same time, the number of websites with a low and medium level of accessibility has fallen – from 76 in 2024 to 48 in 2025. 

According to the study, a record 16 websites scored the maximum 10 points for accessibility in 2025. Additionally, five websites belonging to regional state administrations showed the greatest increase in accessibility over the year. These were the websites of Rivne (+8 points), and of Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Donetsk, and Ternopil oblasts (+7 points each). 

“We are building a state where digital services are convenient and easy to understand for everyone — regardless of age or physical ability. For us, accessibility is not a formality; it is a mandatory standard,” said Zoriana Stetsiuk, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation. “The results are already visible: nearly half of all government websites have become more accessible over the past year, with the Ministry of Digital Transformation’s website and the Diia Portal leading the way. Our goal is to make inclusivity the norm.” 

In 2025, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, with support from UNDP and Sweden, updated the government website constructor used by many executive bodies at both the central and regional levels. This was one of the key drivers in the massive growth in the number of highly accessible sites. 

The basic accessibility of government websites is analysed using a specially developed methodology that covers 10 components. These include, in particular, sufficient text contrast, the presence of alternative text for images, accessible text for hyperlinks, as well as text labels for buttons and form fields, programmatic determination of the primary language of the page, and support for keyboard control.  

This year, for the first time, an in-depth assessment of five websites among the monitoring leaders was also conducted. They were analysed using the 50 criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, which formed the basis of Ukraine’s own state standard. It turned out that the leading sites mostly meet the requirements – the indicator is 78-94%. 

In addition, for the first time, the accessibility of mobile applications was analysed. Two versions of five popular applications for Android and iOS – Diia, the State Employment Service, Kyiv Digital, My Tax Service, and Helsi – were evaluated according to ten basic components. Only 20% were accessible at a high level, scoring nine points out of 10. Another 20 had only a low level of accessibility, scoring just three points out of 10. 

Improving the digital accessibility of government resources is part of comprehensive work being done to build a barrier-free environment in Ukraine. Tetiana Lomakina, Advisor-Presidential Commissioner for a Barrier-Free Environment, noted that this, in particular, is foreseen in the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space in Ukraine, which is being carried out as part of the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska.  

Olena Ursu, UNDP Ukraine Project Team Leader for Democratic Governance, said UNDP in Ukraine has been systematically supporting digital transformation in Ukraine and helping to promote digital accessibility in the country since 2021.  

“One of the key tools of such work is the annual monitoring of web accessibility of government websites, which we have been conducting for the fifth year in a row,” Ursu said. “This monitoring allows us to assess real progress in increasing the accessibility of government resources and formulate practical recommendations for public servants. The results obtained indicate that the systemic solutions previously implemented by the state with the support of partners to stimulate the increased accessibility of government web resources are beginning to work at a large-scale level.” 

The web accessibility monitoring of 100 government websites was conducted from 1 September to 15 November, 2025, as part of the DIA Support Project, which is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine with funding from Sweden, together with the Digital Accessibility Competence Centre. 

As a reminder, in 2022, a new state web accessibility standard came into force in Ukraine, which became mandatory for state bodies to implement. It is based on the WCAG 2.1 global guidelines, which were officially translated into Ukrainian for the first time. In 2024, the State Enterprise “Diia” established a centre that will deal with the issue of digital accessibility for the first time at the state level – the Digital Accessibility Competence Centre. All initiatives were implemented by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and supported by UNDP and the Government of Sweden. 

Media inquiries: 

Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Head of Communications and Advocacy, yuliia.samus@undp.org