UK government services have gone up three places to ninth in the global league, according to an annual survey from consultancy Accenture.

The report focuses on citizens' satisfaction with the delivery of public services and the challenges of making best use of new technologies.

Singapore, Canada and the US lead the world, but UK government service still earn high approval ratings – at around 77 per cent – and the public sector continues to outperform private sector businesses such as banks and utilities.

Despite the overall approval, public perception remains the most significant challenge, says Accenture government practice director Jeremy Oates.

Forty-nine per cent of UK survey respondents say public service provision has stayed the same or worsened in the last three years, and 61 per cent say their relationship with the government is either the same or worse.

'The challenge the government now faces stems from its starting point in citizen perceptions,' said Oates.

'Right now, citizens do not perceive service as having improved relative to three years ago.

'In addition, factors external to the service transformation agenda have eroded citizen confidence, such as actually using new technology methods to communicate, and may affect the speed at which government is able to push critical initiatives forward in the near future,' he said.

France and Germany are ranked 15th and 17th respectively in the Accenture league.