In the modern world, government agencies are actively restructuring their work using digital technologies and electronic data. This process, aimed at improving the efficiency of management, provision of services and performance of functions, radically changes the usual approaches. The article attempts to understand how economics approaches the understanding of digital transformation. We explore different perspectives on what digital transformation is in the context of economics, and how it can be defined as a scientific category. The study conducted a comprehensive analysis of innovation activities based on both Russian and international experience. In particular, the research of the American consulting company McKinsey, known for its research in the field of strategy and innovation, was studied. The experience of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF), which actively supports and develops innovative projects in Russia, and VTB Bank, as a major financial institution implementing innovations in its activities, was also reviewed. In order to obtain an objective picture of the innovative development of various countries, the statistics of the Global Innovation Index were analyzed, which makes it possible to assess the innovation potential and the results of innovation activities on a global scale.