Average years of schooling among adults in Cambodia
Cambodia: Average years of schooling among adults was 5.2 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Cambodia, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for average years of schooling among adults in Cambodia is 5.2 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 41.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Cambodia peaked at 5.2 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.82 years, in 1990.
That places Cambodia 167th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Average years of schooling among adults in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.82 years | — |
| 1991 | 2.87 years | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 2.93 years | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 2.98 years | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 3.04 years | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 3.09 years | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 3.15 years | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 3.2 years | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 3.26 years | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 3.32 years | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 3.37 years | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 3.44 years | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 3.5 years | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 3.56 years | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 3.62 years | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 3.69 years | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 3.81 years | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 3.93 years | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 4.03 years | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 3.94 years | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 3.87 years | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 3.8 years | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 3.74 years | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 3.67 years | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 3.6 years | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 3.67 years | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 3.95 years | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 4.23 years | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 4.52 years | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 4.8 years | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 5 years | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 5.2 years | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 5.2 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.2 years | +0.0% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 5.2 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.79 years, 77% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 5.2 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.43 years, 55% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.06 years | 2.82 years | 3.32 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.69 years | 3.37 years | 4.03 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.99 years | 3.6 years | 4.8 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.15 years | 5 years | 5.2 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More education data for Cambodia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 107,312 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 124,310 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 199,569 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 201,390 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.17 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1285 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Cambodia?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Cambodia was 5.2 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.82 years in 1990.
- How does Cambodia rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Cambodia ranks 167th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cambodia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.