Cambodia

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Cambodia borders Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east and southeast and Thailand to the west and northwest. Its territory is largely made up of the low-lying hills, plains and low mountains.

Cambodia, officially known as the land of the Kambojas, has a rich history since its existence around 2000 BC. Around the seventh century, it was ruled by the Khmer which had constructed one of the world-famous landmarks, the Ankor Wat. Up until the 19th century, Cambodia had been plagued by Vietnamese and Thai incursions which slowly diminished its territory until its became colonized by France which combined Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam into French Indochina. After a slow independence process after the second world war, it gained its full independence in 1949 while still remaining within the French Union of which it withdrew in 1955. Since then, Cambodia has seen fighting on its territory between the North Vietnamese and the Americans during the Vietnam war, but has also seen atrocities done by its own people on its own territory.

It is the 88th largest state in the world with a total surface area of 181,000 square kilometers or 70,000 square miles. This makes Cambodia slightly larger than Uruguay and slightly smaller than Syria

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

It has a total water surface area of 4500 square kilometers or 1750 square miles.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

One of the largest sources of water is the Mekong River Delta which is responsible for more than 70 percent of its total water replenishment. Most of this water flows downstream towards Lake Tonle Sap which covers around seven percent of its total landmass.

Cambodia experiences year-round warm temperatures and is known to have a wet and a dry season. The average temperature in Cambodia is around 26.9 degrees Celsius or 80.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature

During the dry season, it reaches an average temperature of 31.6 degrees Celsius or 88.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

While the lower temperature, during the wet season, is around 22.6 degrees Celsius or 72.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Cambodia receives a high amount of precipitation which averages around 176 centimeters or 69 inches of rainfall per year

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

After the turn of the 21st century, the Cambodian government has shifted its economy towards a production-based economy which is still centrally planned by the government. A large majority of the population is still living in dire conditions as a result of several social economic factors such as low education, malnutrition and low-quality infrastructure. Because of this, Cambodia is highly dependent on foreign aid. One of the main export products is clothing and gold with the United States being the largest import and export partner, representing around 30 percent of total exports.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Cambodia is a member of 10 international economic organizations which makes it the 120th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

The GDP of Cambodia is around US$25 billion which makes it the 96th highest GDP in the world.

The GDP per capita is among the lowest in the world. With a GDP per capita of US$1380, it is ranked as the 160th highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) has shown what the average Cambodian earns per year. The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Cambodian citizen makes.

Its GDP per square kilometer is around US$141.000 and its GDP per square mile is around US$365.000. This makes the Cambodian surface GDP the 152nd highest in the world.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchasing power parity however, is relatively high. With around US$3.897 it is the 43rd highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of Cambodia with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Cambodia.

Cambodia is ethnically homogenous with 96 percent of its inhabitants being native Cambodians. Other ethnic minorities are Chinese, Vietnamese and Laotians that are mostly present in rural areas. With a total population of 18.5 million people, it is the 125th most populous state in the world.

Population

Population density

Its population density corresponds to roughly 101 people per square kilometer or 263 people per square mile which makes it the 121st most densely populated state in the world.

Emigration

Around 4.5 percent of the total population, or around 380,000 people, have emigrated. One of the most popular destinations for emigration is Thailand because of its economic opportunities compared to Cambodia.

Immigration

Cambodia on the other hand has attracted many immigrants from Brunei and migration workers from Vietnam that are mostly active within the clothing sector. The total amount of immigrants is around 74.000 people which represents around 0.3 percent of the total population.

Literacy

Education in Cambodia is provided by the state which is provided for free. During the period of the Khmer rouge, educated people, including teachers, were subject to harsh treatment or execution. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of all teachers during this period were executed. This has led to a deep-rooted problem in its educational system and has led to low literacy rates. After the Khmer Rouge were ousted, the literacy rate has started to increase but has not regained pre-Khmer Rouge levels. Presently, it is estimated that Cambodia has the literacy rate of 78.5 percent which makes it the 146th most literate state in the world.

Health

Healthcare has improved in the last decades, but low funding as well as the rise of communicable diseases such as HIV and malaria have been large factors in the life expectancy. It is estimated that men have an average life expectancy of 59 years and women around 61.7 years. With a total average life expectancy of 60.3 years Cambodia is ranked as the 176th highest in the world.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

It is ranked as the 44th most multi religious state.

As a result of Christian missionaries from the United States, some small villages have been converted to Christianity. However, the total number of Christians is negligible compared to the total population. It is estimated that around 0.03 percent of the population follows the Christian faith with Protestantism being the largest denomination.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Islam is granted religious freedom by the government and is formally recognized. Islam is the second largest religion in Cambodia and numbers estimate them to be between 200,000 and 300,000 people, representing around 1.5 percent of the total population. Most of the followers of Islam in Cambodia follow the Sunni branch of Islam.

The vast majority of the inhabitants of Cambodia is Buddhist. 97 percent of the total population adheres to Buddhism, and most of these belong to the Theravada Buddhism denomination which has become the state religion since the 13th century.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

The influence of Hinduism can be found throughout Cambodia. Up until the 13th century, it was the official state religion, and the Angkor Wat was formerly a Hindu temple.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

There is a small Jewish community in Cambodia consisting of a little over 100 people, or 0.03 percent of the total population. Since 2009, there has been a Chabad house in Phnom Penh.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Before the arrival of Buddhism and Hinduism in Cambodia, there were the Chola people that had their own religion. At present, the amount of Chola people is between 100,000 and 200,000 people and is estimated to represent around four percent of nonmainstream religions.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Irreligion is represented by 3.5 percent of the population of Cambodia.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

The military budget of the Cambodian Army is just over US$600 million, or around 2.3 percent of its GDP which makes it the 101st most funded military in the world.

The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces is the official name of the Cambodian military. It consists of four branches, namely the Army the Navy, the Special forces and the Air Force and each of these branches are mainly tasked with maintaining territorial integrity.

Military membership

It is also a member of three international military organizations, which ranks it as the 104th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Nonaligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its existence, Cambodia has fought six international wars. These are:

Cambodian–Spanish War 1593-1597
Cambodian–Dutch War 1643-1644
Mexican War of Independence 1810-1818
First Indochina War 1946-1954
Cambodian–Vietnamese War 1975-1989
Cambodian–Thai border dispute 2008-2025

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Cambodia is a member of 14 international political organizations which makes it the 99th most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Asia Cooperation Dialogue
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Mekong–Ganga Cooperation
Mekong River Commission
Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Even though the citizens of Cambodia have the right to vote, the politics of Cambodia are characterized by a one-party rule. After the ousting of the Khmer Rouge regime, its name had changed to the Cambodian people's party. This has made Cambodia the 140th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Cambodia are characterized by being a constitutional monarchy where the king is head of state, and the Prime Minister is head of government. Government activities are executed only with the consent of the king. After deposing the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia held democratic elections and installed a multiparty democracy.