International Comparative Study Report on Open Source Software Publication Activities by Governments

March 4, 2026
Authored by
Hiroyuki Fukuchi (IPA)
Shin Okamoto (Technical Adviser of IPA, monlon General Incorporated Association)

Note:This document is an English translation based on the Japanese version. If there are any discrepancies, inconsistencies, or contradictions between the translation provided and the Japanese version, the Japanese version shall take precedence.

• Japanese version

Executive Summary

Background and Purpose of the Study

In recent years, open source software (OSS) has grown in importance not only for private companies but also for government organizations. Approaches vary across countries: Germany and Estonia legally mandate open-sourcing software developed with public funds, while the United States promotes reuse of administrative systems through OSS disclosure as a federal cost-cutting measure. While research has advanced in qualitative studies focusing on policy frameworks and organizations, international comparisons regarding the actual number and scale of OSS release activities remain insufficient. Japan's international standing in this regard is particularly unclear. Therefore, this report conducted a quantitative analysis using GitHub data, addressing the research question: "How does the number of government OSS releases differ across countries and regions?” This study quantitatively analyzed OSS published on GitHub by governments and public institutions in seven countries (Japan, Estonia, Singapore, Germany, France, the UK, and the US), using multiple metrics such as repository count, pull request count, and star count. It clarifies the characteristics of OSS activities in each country and their relationship with policy.

Key Findings

First, it became clear that there are significant differences in the scale of OSS activities among countries.

The UK (approx. 16,000 repositories, approx. 1.9 million pull requests) and the US (approx. 10,000 repositories, approx. 540,000 pull requests) are large-scale, France (approx. 2,400 repositories, approx. 240,000 pull requests) is medium scale, while Japan, Estonia, Singapore, and Germany are classified as small-scale. Examples of Japan's characteristics discernible from the data include approximately 3,800 pull requests for 626 repositories, resulting in a ratio of about 6.1 pull requests per repository—the lowest among the small-scale groups. This indicates a relatively low frequency of development activity via pull requests, reflecting a characteristic emphasis on rigorous review processes and quality control.

Second, a certain temporal overlap was observed between the periods of increased OSS publication and the introduction of OSS-related policies in each country.

Increases in OSS releases were seen around the implementation of policies such as the UK's Government Digital Service (2012), the US Federal Source Code Policy (2016), France's Circulaire Ayrault (2012), and Germany's Sovereign Tech Fund initiative (2021). Japan also saw increases around the 2012 e-Government Open Data Strategy and the 2021 establishment of the Digital Agency.

Third, the distribution of technology fields showed both globally common trends and country-specific characteristics.

Across the seven countries, administrative services (2,340 items) and data platforms/APIs (1,935 items) were the most published. Country-specific focus areas were also observed: Estonia emphasized data exchange platforms like X-Road, while Singapore focused on smart city-related initiatives. For Japan, OSS publication activities by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in the field of maps and urban information were particularly notable.

Implications for Japan

Although Japan's OSS activities by administrative agencies are smaller in scale compared to the UK, US, and France, active efforts in the field of maps and spatial information by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) were confirmed. Overall, the number of releases has been increasing since the establishment of the Digital Agency. To accelerate these nascent movements going forward, strategic actions are needed to expand them into more organized efforts.

Outlook

This study is limited to a quantitative approach using GitHub data, excluding OSS release activities on other platforms or those utilizing government-affiliated inner-source initiatives. Furthermore, while it provides an overview of OSS activities in each country, the causal relationship with underlying policies and political trends remains unclear. Moving forward, it is necessary to continuously conduct research that overcomes these limitations and to accelerate discussions on more concrete measures to promote OSS activities within government.

Chapters of the report

• 1.Introduction

• 2.Purpose and Methodology

• 3.Survey Data

• 4.Analysis

• 5.Summary

• 6.References