Public accountability is the concept of requiring government officials and agencies to account for their actions to the public. It is a core principle of democratic governance, as it allows citizens to hold their representatives accountable for their decisions and actions. Public accountability is essential to democratic governance and maintaining the trust of citizens in government. It helps ensure that decisions made by those in power are transparent and accountable to those who they represent.

Researchers have identified various types of accountability in a public sector context, including political, legal, ministerial, democratic, bureaucratic, parliamentary, and social accountability. Accountability is also sometimes seen as simply providing an account. In practice, many related concepts are also associated with accountability, such as answerability, transparency, visibility, controllability, responsibility, or responsiveness.

Public accountability occurs when "rules, regulations, and mechanisms in place call upon government actors to justify their actions, act upon criticisms or requirements made of them, and accept responsibility for failure to perform with respect to laws or commitments". It is about the public sector demonstrating its competence, reliability, and honesty in a way that allows the public to judge its trustworthiness in using public money and resources.

Examples of relevant activities that promote public accountability include citizen audits, financial accountability, and political accountability. Accountability is also important in ensuring that government officials are following the law and acting in the best interests of the public. There are various checks and balances in place at different levels of government to help ensure that officials are held accountable for their actions.