Academic Freedom Index in Cambodia
Cambodia: Academic Freedom Index was 0.216 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.216
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
137th
of 174 countries
All-time high
0.409
in 2000
All-time low
0.01
in 1977
Years of data
80
1946–2025
Academic Freedom Index in Cambodia, 1946–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Cambodia recorded 0.216 for academic freedom index in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and down 41.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Cambodia peaked at 0.409 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.01, in 1977.
That places Cambodia 137th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 80 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 0.264 | — |
| 1947 | 0.264 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.264 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.264 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.277 | +4.9% |
| 1951 | 0.277 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.277 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.27 | -2.5% |
| 1954 | 0.283 | +4.8% |
| 1955 | 0.291 | +2.8% |
| 1956 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.307 | +5.5% |
| 1964 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.273 | -11.1% |
| 1971 | 0.274 | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 0.274 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.274 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.274 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.037 | -86.5% |
| 1976 | 0.014 | -62.2% |
| 1977 | 0.01 | -28.6% |
| 1978 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.01 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.109 | +990.0% |
| 1981 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.138 | +26.6% |
| 1991 | 0.142 | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 0.247 | +73.9% |
| 1993 | 0.316 | +27.9% |
| 1994 | 0.354 | +12.0% |
| 1995 | 0.354 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.354 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.354 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.354 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.354 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.409 | +15.5% |
| 2001 | 0.409 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.409 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.409 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.409 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.394 | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 0.394 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.394 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.394 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.384 | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 0.383 | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.383 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.383 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.376 | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 0.37 | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.37 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.367 | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 0.329 | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 0.317 | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 0.317 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.295 | -6.9% |
| 2021 | 0.241 | -18.3% |
| 2022 | 0.241 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.229 | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 0.212 | -7.4% |
| 2025 | 0.216 | +1.9% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 0.216 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.515, 42% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 0.216 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5275, 41% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.264 | 0.264 | 0.264 | 4 |
| 1950s | 0.2839 | 0.27 | 0.291 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.3022 | 0.291 | 0.307 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.145 | 0.01 | 0.274 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.109 | 0.109 | 0.109 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2967 | 0.138 | 0.354 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4005 | 0.384 | 0.409 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3595 | 0.317 | 0.383 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.239 | 0.212 | 0.295 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More social development data for Cambodia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 23 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 11,332 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0006 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 11,332 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in Cambodia?
- Academic freedom index in Cambodia was 0.216 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.409 in 2000.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.01 in 1977.
- How does Cambodia rank for academic freedom index?
- Cambodia ranks 137th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cambodia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 80 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which academics can research, teach, publish, express opinions, and participate in academic bodies without interference, censorship, or institutional restrictions, and universities exercise institutional autonomy.