Cambodia

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). <br><br>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 HUN SEN dissolved the coalition and sidelined FUNCINPEC. Despite further attempts at coalition governance, the CPP has since remained in power through elections criticized for lacking fairness, political and judicial corruption, media control, and influence over labor unions, all of which have been enforced with violence and intimidation. HUN SEN remained as prime minister until 2023, when he transferred power to his son, HUN MANET. HUN SEN has subsequently maintained considerable influence as the leader of the CPP and the Senate. The CPP has also placed limits on civil society, press freedom, and freedom of expression. Despite some economic growth and considerable investment from China over the past decade, Cambodia remains one of East Asia's poorest countries.<br><br>The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in 1999. A UN-backed special tribunal established in Cambodia in 1997 tried some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and genocide. The tribunal concluded in 2022 with three convictions.

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos

13 00 N, 105 00 E

Southeast Asia

1.5 times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oklahoma

443 km

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

mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

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

3,540 sq km (2012)

Mekong (shared with China [s], Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam [m]) - 4,350 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

population concentrated in the southeast, particularly in and around the capital of Phnom Penh; further distribution is linked closely to the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers

monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

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

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

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

0.95% (2025 est.)

17.74 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.62 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-2.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

population concentrated in the southeast, particularly in and around the capital of Phnom Penh; further distribution is linked closely to the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers

2.281 million PHNOM PENH (capital) (2023)

23.3 years (2021-22 est.)

137 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

2.14 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.05 (2025 est.)

0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2018 est.)

3.9% (2016)

16.3% (2021 est.)

67.2% (2022 est.)

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

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

18.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

476.1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

24 provinces (<em>khett</em>, singular and plural) and 1 municipality (<em>krong</em>, singular and plural) <br><br><strong>provinces:</strong> Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Kampot, Kandal, Kep, Koh Kong, Kratie, Mondolkiri, Oddar Meanchey, Pailin, Preah Sihanouk, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Pursat, Ratanakiri, Siem Reap, Stung Treng, Svay Rieng, Takeo, Tbong Khmum <br><br><strong>municipalities:</strong> Phnom Penh (Phnum Penh)

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

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Cambodian People's Party (CPP) <br>United National Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Co-operative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC)

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

9 November 1953 (from France)

Independence Day, 9 November (1953)

<strong>description:</strong> three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double-width), and blue; a three-towered, stylized white temple outlined in black is in the center of the red band, representing Angkor Wat<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> red and blue are traditional Cambodian colors

Angkor Wat temple, kouprey (wild ox)

red, blue

Cambodia’s coat of arms is also the Royal Arms of Cambodia; the lions symbolize strength, courage, and the divine protection of the monarchs; the lion on the left is a <em>gajasingha</em> (a lion with an elephant’s trunk), and the lion on the right is a <em>rajasingha</em> (royal lion); both hold five-tiered umbrellas representing the king and queen, and they stand on a blue ribbon that says “<em>Preah Chao Krung Kampuche”</em>' (King of the Kingdom of Cambodia); between the lions is a crown with the Unalome, the Buddhist and Hindu symbol for the spiritual path to enlightenment, under it and a ray of light on top

one of the fastest growing Southeast Asian economies; rebounding tourism and clothing exports; substantial manufacturing and construction sectors; new trade agreements expanding agricultural markets; significant public debt; investing in new ports and roads

$46.353 billion (2024 est.)

cassava, rice, maize, sugarcane, vegetables, oil palm fruit, rubber, bananas, jute, pork (2023)

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

9.5% (2024 est.)

9.904 million (2024 est.)

12.2% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

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

garments, semiconductors, trunks and cases, footwear, gold (2023)

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

refined petroleum, fabric, gold, plastic products, synthetic fabric (2023)

mix of state-owned, joint public-private, and privately owned broadcast media; 27 TV stations, with most operating on multiple channels, including 1 state-operated station with multiple locations and 11 stations either jointly operated or privately owned, some with several locations; multi-channel cable and satellite systems; 84 radio stations, including 1 state-owned broadcaster with multiple stations and a mix of public and private broadcasters; one international broadcaster is available, as well as one TV station that is jointly run by China and the Ministry of Interior; several TV and radio operators broadcast online only (often via Facebook) (2019)

.kh

XU

12 (2025)

1 (2025)

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)

information varies; estimated 200,000 Armed Forces, including Gendarmerie (2025)

the RCAF is armed largely with older Chinese and Russian/Soviet origin armaments; in recent years it has received limited amounts of more modern equipment from several suppliers, particularly China (2025)

18 is the legal minimum age for military service for men and women (2025)

340 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 180 Lebanon (UNIFIL)&nbsp; (2025)

the primary responsibilities of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) are border, coastal, and internal security; key security partners include China and Vietnam; in July 2025, following months of rising tensions, the RCAF and the military forces of Thailand clashed in multiple locations along their disputed border; both sides blamed the other for provoking the five-day conflict, which included cross-border artillery shelling by both sides and air attacks by RTARF fighter aircraft and drones<br><br>the RCAF was re-established in 1993 under the first coalition government from the merger of the Cambodian Government’s military forces (Cambodian People’s Armed Forces) and the two non-communist resistance forces (Sihanoukist National Army, aka National Army for Khmer Independence, and the Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces); thousands of communist Khmer Rouge fighters began surrendering by 1994 under a government amnesty program and the last of the Khmer Rouge forces (National Army of Democratic Kampuchea) were demobilized or absorbed into the RCAF in 1999 (2025)