Map of Cambodia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863 and it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975 after a five-year struggle communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution forced hardships or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders have been tried or are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity by a hybrid UN-Cambodian tribunal supported by international assistance. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004 King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his son Prince Norodom SIHAMONI was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007 with little of the pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful as were commune council elections in June 2012.


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Location: Southeastern Asia bordering the Gulf of Thailand between Thailand Vietnam and Laos

Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N 105 00 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 90
Land: 176,515 km²
Water: 4,520 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Land boundaries
Border countries: (3) Laos 555 km; Thailand 817 km; Vietnam 1158 km

Coastline: 443 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; rainy monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: mostly low flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Phnum Aoral 1810 m

Natural resources: oil and gas timber gemstones iron ore manganese phosphates hydropower potential

Land use
Permanent crops: 0.86%
Other: 77.05% (2011)

Irrigated land: 3,536 km² (2006)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 476.1 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

Geography
Note: a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap (Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake)


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Population: 15,458,332
Rank: 69
Growth rate: 1.63% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 75
Below poverty line: 20% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Cambodian

Ethnic groups: Khmer 90% Vietnamese 5% Chinese 1% other 4%

Languages: Khmer (official) 96.3% other 3.7% (2008 est.)

Religions: Buddhist (official) 96.9% Muslim 1.9% Christian 0.4% other 0.8% (2008 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 20.5% (male 1,565,135/female 1,596,099)
25-54 years: 38.9% (male 2,938,366/female 3,082,496)
55-64 years: 5.1% (male 298,733/female 482,588)
65 years and over: 4% (male 229,684/female 380,953) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 49 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 8.6 %
Potential support ratio: 11.6 (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 23.4 years
Female: 24.8 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.63% (2014 est.)
Rank: 75

Birth rate: 24.4 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 60

Death rate: 7.78 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 107

Net migration rate: -0.32 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 127

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 2.13% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: PHNOM PENH (capital) 1.55 million (2011)

Environment
Current issues: illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.8

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 36
Male: 58.1 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 44.31 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 179
Male: 61.35 years
Female: 66.32 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.66 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 74

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 50.5% (2010/11)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.23 physicians/1000 population (2008)

Hospital bed density: 0.7 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.8% (2012 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 53
People living with hivaids: 76,400 (2012 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 50
Deaths: 2,700 (2012 est.)
Deaths rank: 54

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever Japanese encephalitis and malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 2.1% (2008)
Rank: 183

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 29% (2011)
Rank: 20

Education expenditures: 2.6% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 152

Literacy
Total population: 73.9%
Male: 82.8%
Female: 65.9% (2009 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 12 years
Female: 10 years (2008)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Cambodia
Local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic pronunciation)
Local short form: Kampuchea
Former: Khmer Republic Democratic Kampuchea People's Republic of Kampuchea State of Cambodia

Government type: multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 11 33 N 104 55 E
Time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (khett singular and plural) and 1 municipality (krong singular and plural)
Provinces: Banteay Meanchey Battambang Kampong Cham Kampong Chhnang Kampong Speu Kampong Thom Kampot Kandal Kep Koh Kong Kratie Mondolkiri Oddar Meanchey Pailin Preah Vihear Prey Veng Pursat Ratanakiri Siem Reap Sihanoukville Stung Treng Svay Rieng Takeo
Municipalities: Phnom Penh (Phnum Penh)

Dependent areas

Independence: 9 November 1953 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 9 November (1953)

Constitution: previous 1947; latest promulgated 21 September 1993; amended 1999 2008 (2008)

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

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985) [co-prime minister from 1993 to 1997]; Permanent Deputy Prime Minister MEN SAM AN (since 25 September 2008); Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since 3 February 1992); SOK AN TEA BANH HOR NAMHONG NHEK BUNCHHAY (since 16 July 2004); BIN CHHIN (since 5 September 2007); KEAT CHHON YIM CHHAI LY (since 24 September 2008); KE KIMYAN (since 12 March 2009)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch
Elections: the king chosen by a Royal Throne Council from among all eligible males of royal descent; following legislative elections a member of the majority party or majority coalition named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the king

Legislative branch: bicameral consists of the Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch 2 elected by the National Assembly and 57 elected by parliamentarians and commune councils; members serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held on 4 February 2012 (next to be held in February 2018); National Assembly - last held on 28 July 2013 (next to be held in July 2018)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 77.8% CNRP (SRP) 22.2%; seats by party - CPP 46 CNRP (SRP) 11; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 48.8% NRP 44.5% FUNCINPEC 3.9% others 2.8%; seats by party - CPP 68 CNRP 55

Judicial branch: note - in 1997 the Cambodian Government requested UN assistance in establishing trials to prosecute former Khmer Rouge senior leaders for crimes against humanity committed during the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime; the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia were established and began hearings for the first case in 2009
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judge candidates recommended by the Supreme Council of Magistracy a 9-member body chaired by the monarch and includes other high-level judicial officers; judges of both courts appointed by the monarch; Supreme Court judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed for 9-year terms with one-third of the court renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts: municipal and provincial courts; appellate courts; military court

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB ARF ASEAN CICA CICA (observer) EAS FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU MINUSMA MIGA NAM OIF OPCW PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL UNMISS UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 4,530 16th Street NW Washington DC 20,011
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 726-7,742
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 726-8,381
From the us embassy: #1 Street 96 Sangkat Wat Phnom Khan Daun Penh Phnom Penh
From the us mailing address: Box P APO AP 96,546
From the us telephone: [855] (23) 728-000
From the us FAX: [855] (23) 728-600

Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top) red (double width) and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band; red and blue are traditional Cambodian colors

National symbols: Angkor Wat temple; kouprey (wild ox)

National anthem
Lyrics and music: CHUON NAT/F. PERRUCHOT and J. JEKYLL

National heritage


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Economy overview: Since 2004 garments construction agriculture and tourism have driven Cambodia's growth. GDP climbed more than 7% per year between 2010 and 2013. The garment industry currently employs more about 400,000 people and accounts for about 70% of Cambodia's total exports. In 2005 exploitable oil deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters representing a potential revenue stream for the government if commercial extraction becomes feasible. Mining also is attracting some investor interest and the government has touted opportunities for mining bauxite gold iron and gems. The tourism industry has continued to grow rapidly with foreign arrivals exceeding 2 million per year since 2007 and reaching over 3 million visitors in 2012. Cambodia nevertheless remains one of the poorest countries in Asia and long-term economic development remains a daunting challenge inhibited by endemic corruption limited educational opportunities high income inequality and poor job prospects. Approximately 4 million people live on less than $1.25 per day and 37% of Cambodian children under the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition. More than 50% of the population is less than 25 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills particularly in the impoverished countryside which also lacks basic infrastructure. The Cambodian Government is working with bilateral and multilateral donors including the Asian Development Bank the World Bank and IMF to address the country's many pressing needs; more than 50% of the government budget comes from donor assistance. The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 107

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 21

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 183

Gross national saving:
Rank: 137

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 7.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 16.4%
Investment in inventories: 2.1%
Exports of goods and services: 65.3%
Imports of goods and services: -66.2%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 24.5%
Services: 40.7% (2013 est.)

Agriculture products: rice rubber corn vegetables cashews cassava (manioc tapioca) silk

Industries: tourism garments construction rice milling fishing wood and wood products rubber cement gem mining textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 9.5% (2013 est.)
Rank: 17

Labor force: 7.9 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 61
By occupation industry: 16.9%
By occupation services: 27.3% (2010 est.)

Unemployment rate: 0.3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 1

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 20% (2012 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 37.3% (2007)

Distribution of family income gini index: 41.9 (2004 est.)
Rank: 73

Budget
Expenditures: $3.1 billion (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 111

Taxes and other revenues: 17.2% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 180

Public debt: NA% of GDP

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.9% (2012 est.)
Rank: 119

Central bank discount rate: 5.25% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 64

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 12.98% (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 59

Stock of narrow money: $995.1 million (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 144

Stock of broad money: $7.1 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 109

Stock of domestic credit: $4.801 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 109

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$1.208 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 124

Exports: $6.016 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 104
Commodities: clothing timber rubber rice fish tobacco footwear
Partners: US 32.6% UK 8.3% Germany 7.7% Canada 7.7% Singapore 6.6% Vietnam 5.7% Japan 4.7% (2012)

Imports: $7.965 billion (2012 est.)
Rank: 108
Commodities: petroleum products cigarettes gold construction materials machinery motor vehicles pharmaceutical products
Partners: Thailand 27.1% Vietnam 20.3% China 19.5% Singapore 7.1% Hong Kong 5.8% South Korea 4.3% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.938 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 93

Debt external: $4.567 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 121

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 1.019 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 144
Consumption: 2.573 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 134
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 113
Imports: 1.83 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 55
Installed generating capacity: 359,900 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 149
Generation sources fossil fuels: 94.8% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 69
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 59
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 3.6% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 128
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1.6% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 76

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0.5 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 131
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 94
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 168
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 113

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 128
Products consumption: 39,350 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 108
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 161
Products imports: 26,250 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 96

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 110
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 127
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 74
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 169
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 120

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 4.39 million Mt (2011 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 584,000 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 93
Mobile cellular: 19.1 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 53

Telephone system
Domestic: fixed-line connections stand at about 4 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage aided by competition among service providers is increasing rapidly and stands at 92 per 100 persons
International: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2011)

Broadcast media: mixture of state-owned joint public-private and privately owned broadcast media; 9 TV broadcast stations with most operating on multiple channels including 1 state-operated station broadcasting from multiple locations 6 stations either jointly operated or privately owned with some broadcasting from several locations and 2 TV relay stations - one relaying a French TV station and the other relaying a Vietnamese TV station; multi-channel cable and satellite systems are available; roughly 50 radio broadcast stations - 1 state-owned broadcaster with multiple stations and a large mixture of public and private broadcasters; several international broadcasters are available (2009)

Internet
Country code: .kh
Hosts: 13,784 (2012)
Hosts rank: 129
Users: 78,500 (2009)
Users rank: 167

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 60

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 16 (2013)
Rank: 142
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways: 1 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways
Rank: 101
Narrow gauge: 690 km 1.000-m gauge

Roadways
Rank: 88
Paved: 2,492 km
Unpaved: 37,126 km (2009)

Waterways: 3,700 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2012)
Rank: 29

Merchant marine
Rank: 21
By type: bulk carrier 38 cargo 459 carrier 7 chemical tanker 4 container 4 liquefied gas 1 passenger 1 passenger/cargo 6 petroleum tanker 8 refrigerated cargo 11 roll on/roll off 4 vehicle carrier 1
Foreign owned: 352 (Belgium 1 Canada 2 China 177 Cyprus 4 Egypt 4 Estonia 1 French Polynesia 1 Gabon 1 Greece 2 Hong Kong 10 Indonesia 2 Ireland 1 Japan 1 Lebanon 5 Russia 50 Singapore 3 South Korea 10 Syria 22 Taiwan 1 Turkey 15 UAE 2 UK 1 Ukraine 35 Vietnam 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals
River port: Phnom Penh (Mekong)


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Disputes international: Cambodia is concerned about Laos' extensive upstream dam construction; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary; in 2011 Thailand and Cambodia resorted to arms in the dispute over the location of the boundary on the precipice surmounted by Preah Vihear Temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962 and part of a UN World Heritage site; Cambodia accuses Vietnam of a wide variety of illicit cross-border activities; progress on a joint development area with Vietnam is hampered by an unresolved dispute over sovereignty of offshore islands

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving some in the government military and police; limited methamphetamine production; vulnerable to money laundering due to its cas