Transparency International Cambodia is the Cambodian chapter of the international organization Transparency International. Every year, an index is published which scores 180 countries and territories based on their perceived levels of public-sector corruption, using a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The Corruption Perception Index – CPI – for the year 2024 was published on 6 February 2025 world wide.
The whole big document of the CPI for 2024 is is available on the Internet, but I want to highlight here only some points, especially as they relate to Cambodia.The introduction to the CPI points out:
Corruption is an evolving global threat that does far more than undermine development – it is a key cause of declining democracy, instability and human rights violations. The international community and every nation must make tackling corruption a top and long-term priority. This is crucial to push back against authoritarianism, and securing a peaceful, free and sustainable world. The dangerous trends revealed in this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index highlight the need to follow through with concrete action now to address global corruption.
How are declining democracy, instability and human rights violations, pushing back against authoritarianism, and working to secure a peaceful, free and sustainable world, reflected in the CPI of different countries? These happen quite differently in different countries, and the 180 countries’ comparative positions are numbered accordingly. I copy here the five best, and the four worst results, and Cambodia with number 158 is between the two groups, also how many resources were used for the evaluation and ranking is mentioned for these countries:
| 1 | Denmark | 8 |
| 2 | Finland | 8 |
| 3 | Singapore | 9 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 8 |
| 5 | Luxembourg | 7 |
I mention here also Luxembourg, as a recently an upcoming high-level visit of the Prince of Luxembourg to Cambodia was announced “which will serve as a key moment for strengthening diplomatic and economic relations and fostering meaningful discussions to promote important initiatives”. Maybe this could also lead to mutual discussions, considering why one of the two countries is in position 5 of the CPI, while the other is in position 158.
| 158 | Cambodia | 7 |
| . | ||
| . | ||
| 177 | Syria | 5 |
| 178 | Venezuela | 8 |
| 179 | Somalia | 7 |
| 180 | South Sudan | 5 |
It is not surprising that Transparency International Cambodia is often criticized for publishing bad CPI ranking results for the country: “How did the Cambodia office of Transparency measure such numbers for corruption in the country? Asking for information from government sources would surely have resulted in a different view!” – Everybody agrees that detailed data of corruption cannot be correctly measured. Therefor the CPI is, as the word says, is a “corruption PERCEPTION index”:
“It relies on 13 independent data sources: The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) uses data from a variety of reputable sources to assess perceptions of public sector corruption. These sources include surveys and assessments conducted by organizations such as the World Bank, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and other international institutions. The data reflect the views of experts and businesspeople regarding corruption in the public sector.”
The full list is publicly available, and it shows that the concern is not just about some money misuse, but about wide justice concerns in society, challenged by irresponsible powers.
The resources used for every country are mentioned:
- African Development Bank CPIA
- Bertelsmann Foundation Sustainable Governance Index
- Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index
- Economist Intelligence Unit Country Ratings
- Freedom House Nations In Transit
- S&P / Global Insights Country Risk Ratings
- IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook
- Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) Asian Intelligence
- PRS International Country Risk Guide
- Varieties of Democracy Project
- World Bank CPIA
- World Economic Forum EOS
- World Justice Project Rule of Law Index
For the 2024 CPI for Cambodia, the resources 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13 were used.
Conflicts that happen in Cambodia can also receive attention in the international media, like for example, when CNN in the USA reported in July 2024 that “fearless young activists were thrown in jail for climate campaigns in Cambodia”.
Or, as I had reported on this blog in November 2024 How to Care Better for Our Environment?, also about the gap between good policy goals of the Cambodian Ministry of Environment – and Cambodian environment activists, who were investigating what they considered to be illegal logging. But they were arrested and imprisoned. The public read about their arrest, but the public could not read details about the suspected logging. The impression of a lack of clarity remains – and not an encouragement for environment protection and anti-corruption efforts.
A recent announcement by Interior Minister Sar Sokha, who is also a Deputy Prime Minister, made a surprisingly clear statement, saying that “Cambodia’s drug problem would not be as severe as it is now if not for the involvement of corrupt officers. – Officers involved in drug crimes or drug abuse must be removed from their posts and held accountable.” And an added comment said that “corruption continues to worsen, as Cambodia’s global corruption ranking has steadily declined.”
Similar questions were not asked, when the “fearless young activists were thrown in jail”, and when “Cambodian environment activists, who were investigating what they considered to be illegal logging, were arrested and imprisoned”. Maybe they committed criminal activities, or maybe not? Minister Sar Sokha’s assumptions were not considered in these cases – and the public was not informed about actual details related of their actions and their convictions.
The Cambodian chapter of Transparency International reflected about the 2024 CPI also in the changed international context, brought about by the new US government:
“We have passed a grim milestone. This week marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a tragic event that has wreaked havoc on the lives of millions, and profoundly reshaped the world order.
“The war has laid bare the dangers of kleptocracy – “rule by thieves” – a form of government where corrupt officials and connected individuals wield their power to embezzle and misappropriate public funds at a large scale, neglecting the people they are meant to serve.
“Over the past decades, Russian kleptocrats have amassed vast wealth. This paved the way for President Putin to consolidate power and emboldened his geopolitical ambitions. All the while, these and other systemic trends have contributed to Russia’s ongoing decline, with the country now facing its lowest ever score of 154 out of 180 on Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, and it marks its worst performance in the history of the index.
“Transparency International had warned that financial secrecy loopholes and complicit enablers allowed Russian kleptocrats to invest their illicit gains into other economies. The USA had a KleptoCapture Task Force which made significant strides to enforce sanctions, including imposing nearly US$700 million in penalties. Despite this success, the new US Attorney General Pam Bondi disbanded the KleptoCapture Task Force.”
But task forces like KleptoCapture should be permanent parts of the global framework to stop dirty money. Pulling back not only emboldens kleptocrats, but also undermines efforts to hold them accountable. The international community – including small countries like Cambodia – must step up and take greater responsibility in fighting transnational corruption and kleptocracy, as these endanger global peace and justice.”
The publication of the 2024 Transparency International CPI is an important reminder:
Corrupt decision-making – whether in government, business, nationally or internationally – underpins the world’s greatest injustices. It deprives citizens of the rights and opportunities they need and deserve, and feeds further injustice by eroding the institutions meant to protect them.