Cambodia
Last updated February 1, 2026
Composite GEFRI Score
Severely underprepared
Cambodia is severely underprepared (27th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.
- Global percentile
- 27th
- Global rank
- #131
- Regional rank
- #21
- Viewing data for
Country profile
Cambodia trails global peers in Human Capital (31, 19th percentile), Innovation (30, 28th percentile), and Governance (30, 20th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.
All or most indicators are based on observed data, giving planners a dependable evidence base for decisions. Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.
Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.
Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.
Key insights
- Falls below many peers at the 27th percentile.
- Places 131st worldwide.
- Holds a regional position of 21st within East Asia & Pacific.
- Scores range from Infrastructure (56.7) to Access & Parity (16.9), reflecting variation across dimensions.
- Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.
Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific
Composite GEFRI score
| Global rank | Regional rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Korea, Rep. | 79.67 |
| 3 | 2 | Singapore | 78.66 |
| 5 | 3 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 77.89 |
| 11 | 4 | Japan | 76.54 |
| 14 | 5 | Australia | 76.14 |
| 20 | 6 | New Zealand | 73.28 |
| 49 | 7 | Brunei Darussalam | 61.59 |
| — | — | Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate | 61.59 |
| 50 | 8 | Thailand | 61.30 |
| 53 | 9 | Indonesia | 60.44 |
| — | — | NauruMicrostate | 59.98 |
| — | — | PalauMicrostate | 59.64 |
| — | — | American SamoaMicrostate | 59.46 |
| — | — | GuamMicrostate | 59.25 |
| — | — | New CaledoniaMicrostate | 59.13 |
| 59 | 10 | Macao SAR, China | 58.49 |
| — | — | French PolynesiaMicrostate | 58.10 |
| 66 | 11 | Viet Nam | 57.38 |
| 71 | 12 | Fiji | 56.49 |
| 72 | 13 | Mongolia | 56.33 |
| 73 | 14 | Malaysia | 56.23 |
| 75 | 15 | China | 55.15 |
| — | — | SamoaMicrostate | 53.13 |
| 84 | 16 | Philippines | 52.72 |
| — | — | TuvaluFCSMicrostate | 51.68 |
| — | — | TongaMicrostate | 47.16 |
| — | — | KiribatiFCSMicrostate | 46.45 |
| — | — | Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate | 46.17 |
| — | — | Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate | 42.15 |
| 110 | 17 | Timor-LesteFCS | 41.12 |
| 112 | 18 | Vanuatu | 40.64 |
| 124 | 19 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 36.42 |
| 129 | 20 | MyanmarFCS | 33.89 |
| 131 | 21 | Cambodia | 33.02 |
| 134 | 22 | Solomon IslandsFCS | 31.89 |
| 137 | 23 | Lao PDR | 30.98 |
| 153 | 24 | Papua New GuineaFCS | 25.55 |