Factbook dossier
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 1975, after a seven-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 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off 13 years of internecine warfare in which a coalition of Khmer Rouge, Cambodian nationalists, and royalist insurgents, with assistance from China, fought the Vietnamese-backed People s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK). The 1991 Paris Agreements ended the country s civil war and mandated democratic elections, which took place in 1993 and ushered in a period of multi-party democracy with a constitutional monarchy. King Norodom SIHANOUK was reinstated as head of state, and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and the royalist FUNCINPEC party formed a coalition government. Nevertheless, the power-sharing arrangement proved fractious and fragile, and in 1997, a coup led by CPP leader and former PRK prime minister …
Location
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos
Area
total : 181,035 sq km land: 176,515 sq km water: 4,520 sq km
Natural resources
oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential, arable land
Natural hazards
monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts
Population
total: 17,230,333 (2025 est.) male: 8,362,224 female: 8,868,109
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.) major-language sample(s): សៀវភៅហេតុការណនៅលើពិភពលោក។ ទីតាំងពត៏មានមូលដានគ្រឹះយាងសំខាន់។. (Khmer) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Buddhist (official) 97.1%, Muslim 2%, Christian 0.3%, other 0.5% (2019 est.)
Environmental issues
habitat and biodiversity loss from illegal logging and strip mining; destruction of mangrove swamps; soil erosion; limited access to potable water in rural areas; illegal fishing and overfishing; deforestation leading to sediment build-up in coastal ecosystems
Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital
name: Phnom Penh geographic coordinates: 11 33 N, 104 55 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name means "mountain of plenty," from the Cambodian words phnom (mountain or hill) and penh (full)
Executive branch
chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister HUN MANET (since 22 August 2023) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch election/appointment process: monarch chosen by the 9-member Royal Council of the Throne from among all eligible males of royal descent; after legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the monarch note: MANET succeeded his father, HUN SEN, who had been prime minister since 1985
Legislative branch
legislature name: Parliament legislative structure: bicameral
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$123.676 billion (2024 est.) $116.658 billion (2023 est.) $111.095 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$7,000 (2024 est.) $6,700 (2023 est.) $6,500 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.1% (2023 est.) 5.3% (2022 est.) 2.9% (2021 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
USA 36%, Germany 6%, China 6%, Japan 6%, Thailand 5% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
China 39%, Thailand 20%, Vietnam 12%, Singapore 6%, Indonesia 3% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF): Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force, Royal Gendarmerie (Military Police); National Committee for Maritime Security (2025) note 1: the National Committee for Maritime Security performs coast guard functions and has representation from military and civilian agencies note 2: the Cambodian National Police are under the Ministry of Interior
Military expenditures
1.5% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.5% of GDP (2023 est.) 2.1% of GDP (2022 est.) 2.3% of GDP (2021 est.) 2.3% of GDP (2020 est.)