Cambodia Facts

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated April 25, 2020

Cambodia, Southeast Asian Peninsula State; 181,000 km², 16.2 million residents (2019).Cambodia, which is located around the lower course of the Mekong River, borders Thailand and Laos in the north and Vietnam in the east and has a coast towards the Gulf of Thailand in the southwest. Administratively, the country is divided into 24 provinces. The capital is Phnom Penh.

Country facts

Preah Reach Ana Pak Kampuchea / Kingdom of Cambodia
Country abbreviation: KH
Area: 181 000 km²
Population (2019): 16.2 million residents
Capital: Phnom Penh
Main language: Khmer
State: Monarchy
Head of State: Norodom Sihamoni (King)
Head of Government: Hun Sen
Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 1,512
GNI per capita (2018): US $ 1,380
Coin unit: 1 wheel = 100 sen
Currency code: KHR
Country Dialing (Telephony): 855
Internet domain name: kh
Time difference compared to Sweden: +6
National Day: November 9 (Independence Day, 1953)

Nature

Land use: forest (59%), agricultural land (20%), other (21%)
Highest mountain: Phnom Aural (1,813 m above sea level)
Longest river: Mekong (4,500 km)

Population

Population density (2019): 90 residents per km²
Natural population growth (2019): 1.7%; birthrate 23 ‰, deathrate 6 ‰
Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (31%), 15-64 (65%), 65- (4%)
Average life expectancy (2019): 64 years; men 69 years, women 73 years
Infant mortality (2019): 24 per 1,000 live births
Population forecast 2050: 22 million residents
HDI (2017): 0.582 (place 146 of 189)
Urbanization rate (2019): 23%
Most populous city (2010): Phnom Penh (1.5 million residents)

Business

Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (25%), industry (33%), service (42%)
Exports (2017): USD 11,420 million
Main export products: clothing, timber, raw rubber
Main exporting countries: USA, UK, Germany
Imports (2017): US $ 14 370 million
Main import products: oil products, gold, cigarettes
Main importing countries: China, Singapore, Thailand
Railway network (2014): 650 km

The country consists for the most part of a fertile lowland, the central plain. This is dominated by the Mekong River and Lake Tonle Sap. To the east and west it is surrounded by low, wooded edge mountains. Cambodia has a tropical monsoon climate with high rainfall.

After decades of civil war and violence, a peace agreement was put forward in 1991, and in 1993 Cambodia again became a monarchy. The king is head of state, but the monarch’s political role is dimmed. Legislative power is held by the National Assembly, which is elected for five years. Even today, the political situation in the country is unstable. The country gained independence in 1954.

Cambodia is one of the world’s poorest countries and very dependent on foreign aid. The country’s business is traditionally based on agricultural production, but since the mid-1990s, industry and tourism have grown. Industrial growth is mainly driven by foreign investment and is concentrated in the larger cities.