Rule of Law Index in Cambodia
Cambodia: Rule of Law Index was 0.068 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.068
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
165th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.516
in 1957
All-time low
0.065
in 2024
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Rule of Law Index in Cambodia, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Cambodia recorded 0.068 for rule of law index in 2025.
The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 40.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Cambodia peaked at 0.516 in 1957 and was at its lowest, 0.065, in 2024.
That places Cambodia 165th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rule of Law Index in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.329 | — |
| 1901 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.329 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.349 | +6.1% |
| 1947 | 0.349 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.349 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.349 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.313 | -10.3% |
| 1951 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.314 | +0.3% |
| 1954 | 0.513 | +63.4% |
| 1955 | 0.513 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.513 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.516 | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.516 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.503 | -2.5% |
| 1961 | 0.503 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.503 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.503 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.494 | -1.8% |
| 1965 | 0.494 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.494 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.494 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.494 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.494 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.374 | -24.3% |
| 1971 | 0.353 | -5.6% |
| 1972 | 0.353 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.353 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.353 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.143 | -59.5% |
| 1976 | 0.143 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.143 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.143 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.192 | +34.3% |
| 1980 | 0.144 | -25.0% |
| 1981 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.144 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.148 | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.143 | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 0.127 | -11.2% |
| 1991 | 0.138 | +8.7% |
| 1992 | 0.161 | +16.7% |
| 1993 | 0.103 | -36.0% |
| 1994 | 0.107 | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.107 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.1 | -6.5% |
| 1999 | 0.099 | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.096 | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 0.094 | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 0.114 | +21.3% |
| 2015 | 0.114 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.103 | -9.6% |
| 2017 | 0.085 | -17.5% |
| 2018 | 0.079 | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 0.079 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.087 | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 0.075 | -13.8% |
| 2022 | 0.075 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.069 | -8.0% |
| 2024 | 0.065 | -5.8% |
| 2025 | 0.068 | +4.6% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 0.068 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3495, 19% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 0.068 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.59, 12% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.329 | 0.329 | 0.329 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.329 | 0.329 | 0.329 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.329 | 0.329 | 0.329 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.329 | 0.329 | 0.329 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.337 | 0.329 | 0.349 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.434 | 0.313 | 0.516 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.4976 | 0.494 | 0.503 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.255 | 0.143 | 0.374 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1463 | 0.143 | 0.148 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1156 | 0.099 | 0.161 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.099 | 0.099 | 0.099 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0962 | 0.079 | 0.114 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0732 | 0.065 | 0.087 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More reference data data for Cambodia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6712 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.8536 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8836 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 17.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.81 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law index in Cambodia?
- Rule of law index in Cambodia was 0.068 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.516 in 1957.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.065 in 2024.
- How does Cambodia rank for rule of law index?
- Cambodia ranks 165th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cambodia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Rule of Law Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government complies with the law, courts are independent, laws transparent, justice accessible, corruption absent, and the bureaucracy is impartial.