Cambodia

Full name of country: Kingdom of Cambodia

Region: East & Southeast Asia

Official language: Khmer

Population: 17,063,669 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Cambodian(s) (noun), Cambodian (adjective)

Land area: 176,515 sq km (68,153 sq miles)

Water area: 4,520 sq km (1,745 sq miles)

Capital: Phnom Penh

National anthem: "Nokoreach" (Royal Kingdom), by Chuon Nat/F. Perruchot And J. Jekyll

National holiday: Independence Day, November 9 (1953)

Population growth: 0.99% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +7

Flag: The flag of Cambodia features two horizontal bands of blue on the top and bottom and one horizontal band of red across the middle. Red and blue are considered the national colors of Cambodia. In the center, a white image of Angkor Wat, a twelfth-century Hindu Temple in Angkor, Cambodia, is featured.

Motto: “Nation, Religion, King”

Independence: November 9, 1953 (from France)

Government type: multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: civil law system (influenced by the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia) customary law, Communist legal theory, and common law

Bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and the Gulf of Thailand, the Kingdom of Cambodia is a small, developing country in Southeast Asia. Once the center of a kingdom that ruled much of the region for six centuries, Cambodia became part of French Indochina until 1953.

Its history in the latter half of the twentieth century was marked by the ravages of war that engulfed the region, including secret air bombings by the United States and the brutal dictatorship of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge guerillas. Around two million people died during the period of genocide (1975–79), and a half million more became refugees before the Khmer Rouge was overthrown.

Peace accords signed in 1991 brought a greater measure of stability to the country and renewed regional cooperation. While the prospects for Cambodia look better than they have for several decades, recovery and further progress will require considerable international assistance and greater economic and political transparency.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Cambodia’s population is young and growing quickly; the infant mortality rate is, however, also high. Life expectancy is 69.6 years for men and 73.3 years for women (2024 estimates). One of the poorest countries in the world, Cambodia was ranked  148 out of 193 countries and territories on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index.

The average population density, in 2021, was 94 people per square kilometer, but the population is concentrated in the fertile central lowlands. Roughly 74 percent of Cambodians lived in rural areas in 2023, generally in small villages. Phnom Penh, with 2.281 million people (2023), is the largest city. Other urban centers include Batdambang, Kampong Cham, and Kampot.

The Khmer, ethnic Cambodians, make up 95.4 percent of the population according to 2019–20 estimates. Cham are the single largest ethnic minority group, followed by Chinese and Vietnamese.

Khmer, an Austro-Asiatic language related to Vietnamese, Thai, and Lao, is spoken by 95.8 percent of the population (2019 estimate). Unlike these languages, however, Khmer’s semantics do not depend on vocal tone. Khmer is written in an alphabet related to Sanskrit. It is common for the older generations to speak French, but in recent years English has become more dominant as a second language.

Approximately 97.1 percent of the population are adherents of Buddhism, which has been a vital force in Cambodia since its arrival two millennia earlier. Islam, Christianity, and animism are practiced by small numbers of Cambodians (2019 estimate).

Indigenous People: During the period that the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia, ethnic minorities and educated ethnic Khmer were targets of the genocide as the regime sought to expunge Western influences and religious beliefs, and return Cambodia to an agrarian society based on Maoist principles. Those who were not killed or forced into labor in the countryside fled abroad. Mistreatment of ethnic Vietnamese, combined with incursions across the shared border, led Vietnam to invade Cambodia and help topple the regime.

Education: Educated people were one of the primary targets of the Khmer Rouge’s genocide. Many were killed, many others fled the country, and schools were closed. The effect that this had on the educational life of the country still resonates today.

Though the situation has improved in the last several years, the country still lacks adequate funds, teachers, facilities, and educational materials. The literacy rate is higher for males than for females: 88.4 percent versus 79.8 percent (2021 estimate).

Education is free and compulsory for six years of primary school. It is followed by three years of middle school (also compulsory) and three years of secondary school. The number of students enrolled in the upper levels drops significantly, and only a fraction of university-age students receive a higher education. Among the country’s postsecondary institutes are the Royal University of Phnom Penh, the Royal University of Agriculture, and the Royal University of Fine Arts.

Health Care: The Khmer Rouge also had a devastating impact on the country’s health care system. Many doctors were murdered by the regime, others fled the country, and hospitals were destroyed.

Some progress has been made in the twenty-first century, but the system is still unable to provide for the health care needs of the population. There is a lack of trained medical personnel, facilities, and medical supplies, and as a result, many treatable illnesses are prevalent. These include diarrhea, hepatitis, and typhoid fever (all contracted from unclean drinking water), as well as dengue fever, malaria, tuberculosis, trachoma, leprosy, and encephalitis. The adult prevalence rate of HIV infection in Cambodia is high relative to other countries, and malnutrition is a major problem, particularly among children.

Food: The Cambodian cuisine, which resembles other cuisines of the region, largely depends on rice, fish, and vegetables. For many families, meat is a luxury which is added to dishes only on special occasions, while fish is much cheaper. It is eaten fresh and dried and also fermented into a paste called prahoc, used as a condiment. Cambodians eat three meals a day. Among rural farmers, lunch is usually brought to the fields.

Soups are eaten with meals, including breakfast. Num banh choc, the most common soup, is made with fish and rice noodles. Other popular dishes are khao poun, rice noodles in coconut sauce; an sam chruk, a spicy dish made with pork and soybeans; and trey aing, grilled fish. Lemongrass, mint, chilies, and ginger are widely used in Cambodian cooking.

Tea, coffee, fruit juices, coconut water, and fermented palm juice are all popular drinks.

Arts & Entertainment: Buddhist traditions provide the basis for the highest forms of cultural expression in Cambodia. In literature, the most important work is the “Reamker,” a long poem dating from the sixteenth or seventeenth century based on the Indian epic Rāmāyaṇa and local traditions. These same stories inform the friezes on wats, or Buddhist temples, as well as dances, theatrical works, and shadow puppetry.

Years of war and, in particular, the period of genocide, when artists and intellectuals were targeted, ravaged Cambodian culture. Nonetheless, traditional crafts such as textile-making, woodcarving, and metalwork have been enjoying a revival, and the country has received international donations necessary to restore and maintain its architectural wonders.

Common recreational activities in Cambodia include football (soccer), volleyball, swimming, and dancing, in both traditional and modern forms.

Holidays: Cambodia’s most important holidays pertain to the agricultural seasons and to Buddhist traditions. The Khmer New Year, a three-day celebration in the middle of April, coincides with the end of the harvest. Families visit each other, exchange gifts, and offer food and flowers to their local Buddhist temple and its monks. The end of the rainy season, falling in either October or November, is another three-day festival. Its main components are fireworks and a boat race on the Mekong River, intended to appease the god of the river and guarantee an abundance of rice and fish.

Buddha’s birth, death and enlightenment are celebrated on May 15. People go to temple and bring food and flowers. Similar traditions are followed on the Day of Souls (September 22), when deceased family and friends are remembered.

Among the secular holidays celebrated in Cambodia are occasions related to the dictatorship of the Khmer Rouge. These include National Day (January 7), marking the overthrow of the regime, and the Day of Hatred (May 20), marking its atrocities. Constitution Day is marked on September 24, and Independence Day is observed on November 9.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Cambodia’s terrain consists of a central alluvial plain encircled by mountains. Along the border with Thailand rise the Dangrek Mountains. The Cardamom Mountains, which contain Phnom Aural, the country’s highest point (1,810 meters/5,938 feet), are located in the southwest, as are the Elephant Mountains.

The lowlands of the Mekong River Valley and the Tonle Sap Basin comprise approximately 75 percent of the country’s total area. These areas are the agricultural heart of the country and support the majority of the population.

Two bodies of water dominate the central plains: the Mekong River, which crosses Cambodia for almost 500 kilometers (311 miles), and the shallow Tonle Sap Lake, which drains into the Mekong along the Tonle Sap River. During the rainy season, however, when the Mekong River floods, the Tonle Sap River is forced to reverse its course and the lake increases to four times its size. At its largest, the Tonle Sap Lake measures 10,000 square kilometers (4,000 square miles). The alluvial soils left by the receding waters are vital to local agricultural production.

Cambodia’s coastline along the Gulf of Thailand is 443 kilometers (275 miles) long.

Natural Resources: Cambodia’s natural resources include oil, natural gas, gemstones (sapphires, rubies, and zircons), phosphates, limestone, clay, salt, iron ore, and arable land. There are also prospects for hydropower and greater oil production. The country once had extensive timber reserves, but these have been seriously depleted over the last decade.

The environmental record of Cambodian industries is poor. Logging has taken its toll on the forests, and reforestation programs have not been adequately implemented. In addition, strip mining has destroyed the land in some areas, soil erosion is becoming more common, and the coastal waters have been overfished. The presence of landmines remains a pressing problem that is unlikely to be resolved in the near future. An estimated four to six million mines and unexploded ordnance have yet to be cleared, and numerous deaths and injuries have resulted from them.

Plants & Animals: Rapid deforestation and wildlife poaching have diminished the variety and number of plants, trees, animals, and their habitats. Prevalent trees include palm, coconut, banana, kapok, rubber, mahogany, and teak. Among Cambodia’s large mammals are elephants, bears, wild boars, tigers, and leopards. There are also populations of birds, reptiles, and fish.

The Javan and Sumatran rhinoceroses, the Asian elephant, the tiger, the Asiatic black bear, and several types of monkeys are a few of the country’s vulnerable and endangered animal species. Efforts to place more natural areas under government protection are underway.

Climate: Cambodia has a tropical climate with two distinct monsoon seasons. The rainy season occurs in the summer, brought by winds from the southwest. This season lasts from May to October and accounts for approximately 80 percent of the country’s annual rainfall, which averages between 100 and 150 centimeters (39 and 59 inches). The southwest receives a considerably higher amount of precipitation, and the average can fluctuate from year to year. The dry monsoon season, lasting from November to April, comes from the northeast. Humidity can be high throughout the year, but is particularly high in the rainy season, usually averaging 60 percent each day.

The warmest temperatures occur in March and April, the coolest in December and January. The average annual temperature ranges from 21° to 35° Celsius (70° to 95° Fahrenheit).

Unlike in neighboring Vietnam, typhoons rarely affect the Cambodian coastline. The country is, however, prone to floods in the rainy season and, occasionally, droughts when the summer monsoon fails.

Economy

Decades of conflict caused significant damage to Cambodia’s economy. Significant progress has been made in rebuilding and expanding the economy, but major problems remain, such as massive corruption and low levels of technical training. In 2023, the labor force numbered an estimated 9.175 million and the unemployment rate was 0.24 percent. An estimated 16.5 percent of the population lived below the poverty line in 2016. In 2023, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$31.773 billion. The per capita GDP was US$5,100 that same year.

Industry: According to 2023 estimates, the Cambodian industrial sector accounted for 4.3 percent of the GDP and employed an estimated 19.9 percent of the labor force in 2013. Tourism, rubber processing, gem mining, rice milling, construction, and the manufacture of building materials, furniture, and clothing are the main components of the sector.

Agriculture: Agriculture accounted for 21.5 percent of Cambodia’s GDP (2023 estimate) and employed 48.7 percent of its labor force (2013 estimate). Rice is the largest cash crop, and is essential for domestic consumption. Rubber, soybeans, fruits, and vegetables are other important crops. Freshwater fish is widely caught and is also essential to the Cambodian diet. The most commonly domesticated animals are chicken, pigs, water buffalo, and cattle.

Tourism: Cambodia’s tourism industry is developing and has been targeted by the government as an integral sector for sustained economic growth. Though the country’s infrastructure is basic overall, 6.6 million international tourists were expected to visit the country in 2019. However, that number decreased to just 1.3 million arrivals following the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. In 2022, travel and tourism generated a total contribution of 9.8 percent of GDP. Approximately 2.09 million jobs were supported by the industry that year.

By far the most significant tourist draw is the Angkor temple complex, the ancient seat of the Khmer empire. The country’s beaches, national parks, and the French colonial architecture of several cities also attract visitors. The Choeng Ek memorial site outside of Phnom Penh and the Museum of Genocide provide a grisly context for the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

Government

For many centuries, Cambodia was governed by a monarchy. Though it became part of French Indochina in 1863 and did not gain independence until 1953, the French did not depose the monarchy.

In 1970, Cambodia became a republic. This period lasted only five years before the communist Khmer Rouge seized power. The ensuing dictatorship devastated the country. Neighboring Vietnam was brought into the conflict and helped overthrow the Khmer Rouge in 1979. Years of civil war followed between government forces and the remaining members of the Khmer Rouge, who surrendered only in 1999.

The monarchy was restored in 1993, though the king serves primarily as a figurehead, and the country has embarked on political and economic reforms designed to help it recover from decades of conflict.

Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy with multiparty democracy. The king, limited to an advisory role, serves as the chief of state while a prime minister is head of government. The prime minister is chosen from the majority party after legislative elections. The executive cabinet, appointed by the prime minister pending legislative approval, is called the Council of Ministers.

The legislative branch is bicameral. The lower house, the National Assembly, had 123 members, elected by popular vote to five-year terms, until 2018, when two more seats were added. The upper house, the Senate, has 61 members. The king is responsible for appointing two of these members; a further two are chosen by the National Assembly, and the remaining members are indirectly elected by parliamentarians and commune councils to six-year terms. The Senate serves in an advisory capacity to the more powerful lower house.

Cambodia’s 1993 constitution makes provision for a Supreme Court, a Supreme Council of the Magistracy to appoint and oversee judges, an appeals court, and lower courts. In addition, the Constitutional Council is responsible for interpreting the legality of laws. An important temporary tribunal, intended to try those who committed atrocities during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, received significant international funding and began hearings in 2009.

Cambodia is divided into twenty-four provinces and one municipality. A governor presides over each administrative division.

In 2021, Hun Sen announces his support for his son Hun Manet to succeed him after the next general election in 2023.

Interesting Facts

• The Mekong River is the tenth-longest river in the world.
• Rural Cambodians typically live in small houses built on stilts so as to avoid seasonal flooding.
• At the end of the wet season, Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
• Angkor Wat, covering 162.6 hectares (401 acres), is the world’s largest religious structure.Cambodia's flag is the only national flag to feature a building, Angkor Wat.Beginning in 2015, ice skating grew more popular as a sport in Cambodia (the country's first official rink had been built in 2013) when the first federation and a national team were formed.

Bibliography

Brinkley, Joel. Cambodia’s Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land. PublicAffairs, 2011.

"Cambodia." The World Bank 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/cambodia. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

"Cambodia." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Dec. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/cambodia/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division. "Cambodia." World Statistics Pocketbook, series V, no. 43, United Nations, 20 June 2019, p. 68, unstats.un.org/unsd/publications/pocketbook/files/world-stats-pocketbook-2023.pdf. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

"Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, 13th March 2024, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Sothirak, Pou, et al., editors. Cambodia: Progress and Challenges since 1991. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2012.

Cambodia—2023 Annual Research: Key Highlights. World Travel & Tourism Council, 2023, https://researchhub.wttc.org/factsheets/cambodia. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

"Cambodia." BBC News 22 Aug 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13006539. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.