Development 2022 to 2024
Developments and trends of the three monitoring periods (2022, 2023 and 2024) and a comparison with the first monitoring period (2020/2021)
All details on the results can be found in this monitoring report on the respective subpages on the three types of tests as well as on the accessibility declarations.
In-depth checks websites
The websites examined in detail show differences between 2022, 2023 and 2024.
WCAG Compliance Status
Looking only at the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), there is a positive development in compatibility with the criteria. Although no website has yet been able to meet all WCAG criteria without exception, it is clear that the proportion of websites that meet less than 50% of WCAG criteria has decreased: In 2022, this was 39% of the websites checked, compared to only 9% in 2024. Taking the 2020/2021 monitoring period as a benchmark, progress is even more apparent: At the time, 51% of websites did not meet more than 50% of WCAG criteria.
Table: WCAG Compliance Status
| Conformity status | 2020/2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully compatible | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| Partially compatible | 49 % | 61 % | 87 % | 91 % |
| Not compatible | 51 % | 39 % | 13 % | 9 % |
"Digital accessibility is an important measure for the inclusion of people with disabilities. I would like to thank the FFG, which performs a great monitoring task for websites in the public sector. Even if the end of the flagpole has not yet been reached, a first positive trend can be seen: Websites are increasingly being used by people with different disabilities. In addition, digital accessibility is now more clearly enshrined in law, such as the Web Accessibility Act and the new Accessibility Act."
Number of WCAG criteria not met
The more detailed breakdown by the number of unfulfilled WCAG criteria per audited website also shows the trend described above. In detail, it can be seen that the number of non-fulfilled criteria for the audited websites decreases from year to year.
A continuous slight decrease in the average unfulfilled WCAG criteria can be observed: In 2020/2021, an average of 25 criteria were not met, with an average of 24 criteria in 2022. In 2023, the value decreased to an average of 21 criteria. In 2024, an average of 20 criteria were not met.
Table: Number of WCAG criteria not met
| Number of criteria not met | 2022: Share of websites | 2023: Share of websites | 2024: Share of websites |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 6 to 10 | 0 % | 4 % | 0 % |
| 11 to 15 | 4 % | 13 % | 22 % |
| 16 to 20 | 17 % | 22 % | 35 % |
| 21 to 25 | 39 % | 48 % | 35 % |
| 26 to 30 | 35 % | 9 % | 9 % |
| 31 to 35 | 4 % | 4 % | 0 % |
| 36 to 40 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 41 to 45 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 46 to 49 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
Frequently unfulfilled criteria
In 2022, 23 WCAG criteria were not met for at least 50% of the audited websites. In the following years, the situation improved slightly: In 2023, 19 criteria were not met for at least 50% of websites, and in 2024 this number was further reduced to 17 criteria. The following two tables show the evolution of these frequently unfulfilled WCAG criteria.
Positive development in 2024 compared to 2022:
17 criteria show an improvement
On the positive side, the assessment of 17 of the frequently unfulfilled WCAG criteria improved in 2024 compared to 2022. For these, the proportion of valuations with ‘not fulfilled’ decreased.
Note: Criterion “4.1.1 Parsing” is always considered fulfilled since October 2023. The
Details can be found in WCAG 2.1 under Success Criterion 4.1.1 Parsing (external link). This explains the major change in this criterion.
| Criterion | 2022: Unfulfilled share | 2023: Unfulfilled share | 2024: Unfulfilled share | Decrease in the “unfulfilled” share in 2024 compared to 2022 (in percentage points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.1 Parsing | 65 % | 48 % | 0 % | -65 |
| 1.4.1 Use of Color | 78 % | 65 % | 48 % | -30 |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | 61 % | 43 % | 35 % | -26 |
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | 61 % | 22 % | 35 % | -26 |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | 96 % | 74 % | 74 % | -22 |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | 96 % | 87 % | 74 % | -22 |
| 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions | 78 % | 65 % | 57 % | -21 |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | 96 % | 96 % | 78 % | -18 |
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | 91 % | 70 % | 74 % | -17 |
| 2.4.6 Headings and Labels | 61 % | 52 % | 48 % | -13 |
| 1.4.10 Reflow | 87 % | 91 % | 78 % | -9 |
| 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus | 61 % | 65 % | 52 % | -9 |
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | 91 % | 83 % | 87 % | -4 |
| 3.1.2 Language of Parts | 91 % | 96 % | 87 % | -4 |
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | 52 % | 52 % | 48 % | -4 |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | 87 % | 91 % | 83 % | -4 |
| 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose | 61 % | 39 % | 57 % | -4 |
Negative development or stagnation in 2024 compared to 2022: 6 criteria show no improvement
For 6 of the frequently unfulfilled WCAG criteria, the 2024 assessment deteriorated or did not change positively compared to 2022. For these criteria, the proportion of valuations "not met" has increased or remained at a consistently high level.
| Criterion | 2022: Unfulfilled share | 2023: Unfulfilled share | 2024: Unfulfilled share | Increase in the “unfulfilled” share in 2024 compared to 2022 (in percentage points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | 91 % | 91 % | 100 % | +9 |
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | 70 % | 61 % | 74 % | +4 |
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | 96 % | 100 % | 100 % | +4 |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | 91 % | 83 % | 91 % | +/-0 |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | 100 % | 96 % | 100 % | +/-0 |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | 100 % | 100 % | 100 % | +/-0 |
Development of WCAG criteria not met on over 90% of websites
Looking back at the development of the most frequently unfulfilled WCAG criteria up to the first monitoring period 2020/2021, it is clear that 14 criteria were not met on over 90% of websites at the time. In 2022, this number was reduced to 11 criteria, in 2023 there were 8 criteria and in 2024 there were 5 criteria that were not met on more than 90% of websites.
| 2020/2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of criteria | 14 | 11 | 8 | 5 |
Simplified checks websites
The simplified checked websites show slight differences between 2022, 2023 and 2024 with a discernible positive trend. However, a direct comparison with the first monitoring period 2020/2021 is not possible, as at that time other WCAG criteria were partially examined.
Number of WCAG criteria not met
The analysis of the number of unfulfilled WCAG criteria shows that in 2024 a higher proportion of audited websites do not fulfil criterion 0 or 1 than in 2022 and 2023.
In addition, in 2024, the proportion of websites that do not meet 6 to 10 criteria is lower than in previous years.
Unchanged positive is that none of the reviewed websites does not meet 11 or more criteria.
Table: Number of WCAG criteria not met
| Number of criteria not met | 2022: Share of websites | 2023: Share of websites | 2024: Share of websites |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 % | 3 % | 4 % |
| 1 | 4 % | 7 % | 9 % |
| 2 | 13 % | 15 % | 12 % |
| 3 | 15 % | 14 % | 18 % |
| 4 | 20 % | 19 % | 22 % |
| 5 | 20 % | 19 % | 20 % |
| 6 | 13 % | 13 % | 9 % |
| 7 | 8 % | 7 % | 5 % |
| 8 | 4 % | 3 % | 1 % |
| 9 | 2 % | 0,3 % | 0 % |
| 10 | 0,4 % | 0,3 % | 0 % |
| 11 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 12 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 13 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
Development share "not met" according to WCAG criteria
Positive development in 2024 compared to 2022: 9 criteria show improvement or positive stability
On the positive side, the assessment improved or remained stable positive for 9 of the 13 audited criteria in 2024 compared to 2022. For these, the proportion of valuations with ‘not fulfilled’ decreased or (or)remained at 0%.
Note: Criterion “4.1.1 Parsing” is always considered fulfilled since October 2023. The details can be found in den WCAG 2.1 under Success Criterion 4.1.1 Parsing (external link). This explains the major change in this criterion.
| Criterion | 2022: Unfulfilled share | 2023: Unfulfilled share | 2024: Unfulfilled share | Decrease in the “unfulfilled” share in 2024 compared to 2022 (in percentage points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.1 Parsing | 42 % | 42 % | 0 % | -42 |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | 66 % | 50 % | 48 % | -18 |
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | 47 % | 47 % | 38 % | -9 |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | 71 % | 69 % | 65 % | -6 |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | 84 % | 79 % | 80 % | -4 |
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | 11 % | 8 % | 8 % | -4 |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | 7 % | 6 % | 5 % | -2 |
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | 1 % | 0,3 % | 0 % | -1 |
| 1.3.4 Orientation | 0 % | 0,3 % | 0 % | +/-0 |
Negative development in 2024 compared to 2022:
4 criteria show no improvement
For 4 of the 13 criteria tested, the 2024 assessment deteriorated compared to 2022. For these, the share of valuations has increased with "not fulfilled".
| Criterion | 2022: Unfulfilled share | 2023: Unfulfilled share | 2024: Unfulfilled share | Increase in the “unfulfilled” share in 2024 compared to 2022 (in percentage points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4.4 Resize Text | 19 % | 14 % | 27 % | +8 |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | 69 % | 66 % | 76 % | +7 |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | 9 % | 11 % | 12 % | +3 |
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | 13 % | 13 % | 14 % | +1 |
In-depth checks apps
The apps examined in detail show only slight differences between 2022, 2023 and 2024. There is therefore no clear trend, a positive development cannot be established. However, it appears that theapps examined in detail tend to perform more positively overall than thewebsites examined in detail.
A comparison with the values from the first monitoring period 2020/2021 does not make sense for the apps, as only a very small number of apps were checked for accessibility in the first period (5 apps).
WCAG compliance status of the apps
Looking only at the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG),there is no positive development in compatibility with the selection of criteria. The share of apps meeting less than 50% of WCAG criteria decreased in 2023, but rose again to 13% in 2024, even higher than in 2022 when it was 6%.
| Conformity status | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully compatible | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| Partially compatible | 94 % | 100 % | 87 % |
| Not compatible | 6 % | 0 % | 13 % |
Number of WCAG criteria not met
The number of WCAG criteria not met on average is stagnating: In 2022, 14 criteria were not met on average. In 2023, there were an average of 13 criteria, in 2024, the apps did not meet an average of 15 criteria.
Table: Number of WCAG criteria not met
| Number of unfulfilled criteria |
2022: Share of apps | 2023: Share of apps | 2024: Share of apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 6 to 10 | 6 % | 33 % | 13 % |
| 11 to 15 | 76 % | 33 % | 40 % |
| 16 to 20 | 12 % | 33 % | 33 % |
| 21 to 25 | 6 % | 0 % | 13 % |
| 26 to 30 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 31 to 35 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 36 to 40 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
| 41 to 45 | 0 % | 0 % | 0 % |
Frequently unfulfilled criteria
In 2022, 11 WCAG criteria were not met for at least 50% of the apps. In the following years, this number increased: In 2023, 13 criteria were not met for at least 50% of apps, compared to 14 WCAG criteria in 2024. The following two tables show the development of these frequently unfulfilled WCAG criteria.
Positive development in 2024 compared to 2022:
There is an improvement in 6 criteria
On the positive side, the assessment of 6 of the frequently unfulfilled WCAG criteria improved in 2024 compared to 2022. For these, the proportion of valuations with "not fulfilled" decreased.
| Criterion | 2022: Unfulfilled share | 2023: Unfulfilled share | 2024: Unfulfilled share | Decrease in the “unfulfilled” share in 2024 compared to 2022 (in percentage points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | 53 % | 7 % | 27 % | -26 |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | 94 % | 60 % | 73 % | -21 |
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | 88 % | 87 % | 73 % | -15 |
| 1.3.4 Orientation | 76 % | 73 % | 67 % | -10 |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | 100 % | 100 % | 93 % | -7 |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | 53 % | 53 % | 47 % | -6 |
Negative development or stagnation in 2024 compared to 2022:
There is no improvement for 10 criteria
For 10 of the frequently unfulfilled WCAG criteria, the 2024 assessment deteriorated or did not change positively compared to 2022. For these criteria, the proportion of valuations ‘not met’ has increased or remained at a consistently high level.
| Criterion | 2022: Unfulfilled share | 2023: Unfulfilled share | 2024: Unfulfilled share | Increase in the “unfulfilled” share in 2024 compared to 2022 (in percentage points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | 41 % | 67 % | 80 % | +39 |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | 35 % | 60 % | 73 % | +38 |
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | 53 % | 53 % | 80 % | +27 |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | 47 % | 87 % | 73 % | +26 |
| 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | 41 % | 40 % | 53 % | +12 |
| 1.4.4 Resize text | 71 % | 87 % | 80 % | +9 |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | 47 % | 20 % | 53 % | +6 |
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | 94 % | 93 % | 100 % | +6 |
| 1.4.1 Use of Color | 59 % | 60 % | 60 % | +1 |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | 100 % | 100 % | 100 % | +/-0 |
Stagnation of WCAG criteria not met on over 90% of apps
Considering only the WCAG criteria, which are not met in more than 90% of the apps, the situation remains largely unchanged: In the 2022 monitoring period, this concerned 4 criteria and in the 2023 and 2024 periods 3 criteria respectively.
Development of accessibility declarations
The proportion of websites and apps that have published an accessibility statement shows little change since the first monitoring period 2020/2021. There are only small fluctuations. Overall, in all monitoring periods, just over half of the audited websites and apps published an accessibility statement.
| 2020/2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accessibility declaration available | 54% | 55% | 51% | 57% |
| Accessibility declaration not available | 46% | 45% | 49% | 43% |