Today, digital education has emerged as a transformative force in education systems worldwide. International organizations such as UNESCO, OECD, and EU, along with many countries, have placed a greater emphasis on evaluating the development level of digital education. To facilitate comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of global digital education, and promote the exchange and mutual learning among countries, the China National Academy of Educational Sciences assembled a dedicated research team to develop the Global Digital Education Development Index (GDEI) adopting an evidence-based evaluation paradigm. After rigorous analysis of evidence from over 200 countries, the research team selected 62 countries at the forefront of digital education to establish a global evidence base and calculate the index. The GDEI was officially released at the 2024 World Conference on Digital Education held in Shanghai, China on January 31, garnering widespread attention from society.