Political observers say entrenched patronage networks and weak institutional oversight lie at the heart of corruption in Cambodia, as the country slips further down global rankings.
Seng Vanly, a geopolitical analyst focusing on Southeast Asia and the Pacific, wrote on Facebook on February 12, 2026, that many Cambodians at home and abroad had hoped the administration of Prime Minister Hun Manet, along with a new generation of foreign-educated ministers, would steer the country towards cleaner governance and a stricter rule of law.
Instead, he argued, the situation appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
Seng Vanly said the core problem is not academic credentials but political will. Even leaders with advanced degrees, he wrote, will struggle to curb corruption if they do not reform what he described as a patronage-based system. Without structural change, he said, corruption will continue to take root.
He added that once corruption becomes deeply embedded, the justice system also deteriorates. Cambodia’s courts, he noted, are widely perceived by the public as protecting those in power rather than upholding the law.
The analyst called for urgent reforms, including ensuring genuine independence for the Anti-Corruption Unit and the judiciary, expanding space for civil society and independent media, and ending what he described as a culture of patronage.
His comments come as Transparency International, based in Berlin, released its latest corruption index on February 10, 2026. Cambodia ranked 163rd out of 182 countries surveyed worldwide.
Among the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Cambodia ranked above only Myanmar. Singapore placed third globally with a score of 84. Malaysia ranked 54th with 52 points, and Timor-Leste 73rd with 44 points.
Vietnam ranked 81st with 41 points. Indonesia and Laos were tied at 109th with 34 points each. Thailand ranked 116th with 33 points, and the Philippines 120th with 32. Cambodia scored 20 points, while Myanmar ranked 169th with 16. Brunei was not included in the report.
In a separate statement released in February 2025 on its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, Transparency International said Cambodia scored 21 out of 100. According to the latest data, the country has fallen five places, from 158th in 2024 to 163rd in 2025, with its score dropping from 21 to 20.
In December 2024, speaking at an event marking the National and International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9, Hun Manet said Cambodia’s 2025 anti-corruption efforts would focus on improving public service delivery, strengthening governance mechanisms, and promoting transparency, to prevent corruption, abuse of power, and professional misconduct.
The latest rankings, however, have intensified debate over whether those commitments are translating into meaningful reform.
