Cambodia

World Book Index

Introduction

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. After Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953.

Geography

Area
total : 181,035 sq km
land: 176,515 sq km
water: 4,520 sq km

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

Natural resources
oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential, arable land

People and Society

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

Ethnic groups
Khmer 95.4%, Cham 2.4%, Chinese 1.5%, other 0.7% (2019-20 est.)

Languages
Khmer (official) 95.8%, minority languages 2.9%, Chinese 0.6%, Vietnamese 0.5%, other 0.2% (2019 est.)

Religions
Buddhist (official) 97.1%, Muslim 2%, Christian 0.3%, other 0.5% (2019 est.)

Population growth rate
0.99% (2024 est.)

Government

Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital
name: Phnom Penh

Executive branch
chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister HUN MANET (since 22 August 2023)

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Koy KUONG (since 11 June 2025)

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Bridgette L. WALKER (since August 2024)

Economy

Economic overview
one of the fastest growing economies; tourism and clothing exports; substantial manufacturing and construction sectors; COVID-19 declines and the suspension of EU market preferential access; massive reductions in poverty, but rural areas remain disproportionately poor

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$123.676 billion (2024 est.)
$116.658 billion (2023 est.)
$111.095 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita
$7,000 (2024 est.)
$6,700 (2023 est.)
$6,500 (2022 est.)

Exports
$31.712 billion (2024 est.)
$27.753 billion (2023 est.)
$25.497 billion (2022 est.)

Exports - partners
USA 36%, Germany 6%, China 6%, Japan 6%, Thailand 5% (2023)

Exports - commodities
garments, semiconductors, trunks and cases, footwear, gold (2023)

Imports
$34.329 billion (2024 est.)
$29.421 billion (2023 est.)
$34.759 billion (2022 est.)

Imports - partners
China 39%, Thailand 20%, Vietnam 12%, Singapore 6%, Indonesia 3% (2023)

Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, fabric, gold, plastic products, synthetic fabric (2023)

Human Development Index

The country's Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.606, ranking it 151st out of 193 countries tested. (more information)

World Happiness Report

The World Happiness Report ranked the country 120th out of 158 countries tested with a score of 4.47. (more information)