The government draft 2020 budget released recently shows an increase in national security and defense spending, accounting for more than a quarter of all government spending next year.
According to the draft of the budget, which was approved by the Council of Ministers on October 25, the government will spend $8.2 billion next year, a significant 22 percent increase from the $6.7 billion it had earmarked for 2019.
While defense spending accounted for 25.8 percent of the budget, spending on social areas, such as healthcare and education services, accounted for 37 percent of the budget. Both education and healthcare standards in Cambodia are critically low and in need of reforms and investment.
