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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Cambodia
Index
Theravada Buddhism is the religion of virtually all of the
ethnic Khmer, who constitute about 90 percent or more of the
Cambodian population. Buddhism originated in what are now north
India and Nepal during the sixth century B.C. It was founded by a
Sakya prince, Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.; his traditional
dates are 623-543 B.C., also called the Gautama Buddha), who, at
the age of twenty-nine, after witnessing old age, sickness, death,
and meditation, renounced his high status and left his wife and
infant son for a life of asceticism. After years of seeking truth,
he is said to have attained enlightenment while sitting alone under
a bo tree. He became the Buddha--"the enlightened"--and
formed an order of monks, the sangha, and later an order of
nuns. He spent the remainder of his life as a wandering preacher,
dying at the age of eighty.
Buddhism began as a reaction to Hindu doctrines and as an
effort to reform them. Nevertheless, the two faiths share many
basic assumptions. Both view the universe and all life therein as
parts of a cycle of eternal flux. In each religion, the present
life of an individual is a phase in an endless chain of events.
Life and death are merely alternate aspects of individual existence
marked by the transition points of birth and death. An individual
is thus continually reborn, perhaps in human form, perhaps in some
non-human form, depending upon his or her actions in the previous
life. The endless cycle of rebirth is known as samsara
(wheel of life). Theravada Buddhism is a tolerant, non prescriptive
religion that does not require belief in a supreme being. Its
precepts require that each individual take full responsibility for
his own actions and omissions. Buddhism is based on three concepts:
dharma (the doctrine of the Buddha, his guide to right actions and
belief); karma (the belief that one's life now and in future lives
depends upon one's own deeds and misdeeds and that as an individual
one is responsible for, and rewarded on the basis of, the sum total
of one's acts and omissions in all one's incarnations past and
present); and
sangha (see Glossary),
the ascetic community
within which man can improve his karma.
The Buddha added the hope of escape--a way to get out of the
endless cycle of pain and sorrow--to the Brahmanic idea of
samsara. The Buddhist salvation is nirvana, a final
extinction of one's self. Nirvana may be attained by achieving good
karma through earning much merit and avoiding misdeeds. A
Buddhist's pilgrimage through existence is a constant attempt to
distance himself or herself from the world and finally to achieve
complete detachment, or nirvana.
The fundamentals of Buddhist doctrine are the Four Noble
Truths: suffering exists; craving (or desire) is the cause of
suffering; release from suffering can be achieved by stopping all
desire; and enlightenment--buddhahood--can be attained by following
the Noble Eightfold Path (right views, right intention, right
speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right concentration), which constitutes a middle
way between sensuality and ascetism. Enlightenment consists of
knowing these truths. The average layperson cannot hope for nirvana
after the end of this life, but can--by complying, as best he or
she is able to, with the doctrine's rules of moral conduct--hope to
improve his or her karma and thereby better his condition in the
next incarnation.
The doctrine of karma holds that, through the working of a
just, automatic, and impersonal cosmic law, one's actions in this
incarnation and in all previous ones will determine which position
in the hierarchy of living things one will occupy in the next
incarnation. An individual's karma can be improved through certain
acts and omissions. By following the five precepts or commandments,
a Buddhist can better his or her karma. These commandments are: do
not kill, do not steal, do not indulge in forbidden sexual
pleasures, do not tell lies, and do not take intoxicants or
stupefying drugs or liquors.
The most effective way to work actively to improve one's karma
is to earn merit. Any act of benevolence or generosity can gain
merit for the doer. Cambodian Buddhists tend to regard
opportunities for earning merit as primarily connected with
interaction with the sangha, contributing to its support
through money, goods, and labor, and participating in its
activities. Some of the favorite ways for a male to earn merit are
to enter the sangha as a monk (after the age of twenty) or
as a novice, or to live in the wat as a temple servant; in the case
of a female (usually the elderly), the favorite way is to become a
nun. Other activities that gain merit include sponsoring a monk or
novice, contributing to a wat, feeding members of the sangha
at a public meal, and providing food for either of the two daily
meals of the sangha.
In his first sermon to his followers, the Buddha described a
moral code, the dharma, which the sangha was to teach after
him. He left no designated successor. Indian emperor Asoka (273-232
B.C.) patronized the sangha and encouraged the teaching of
the Buddha's philosophy throughout his vast empire; by 246 B.C.,
the new religion had reached Sri Lanka. The Tripitaka, the
collection of basic Buddhist texts, was written down for the first
time in Sri Lanka during a major Buddhist conference in the second
or first century B.C. By the time of the conference, a schism had
developed separating Mahayana (Greater Path) Buddhism from more
conservative Theravada (Way of the Elders, or Hinayana--Lesser
Path) faction or Buddhism. The Mahayana faction reinterpreted the
original teachings of the Buddha and added a type of deity called
a bodhisattva (see Glossary)
to large numbers of other buddhas. The
Mahayana adherents believe that nirvana is available to everyone,
not just to select holy men. Mahayana Buddhism quickly spread
throughout India, China, Korea, Japan, Central Asia, and to some
parts of Southeast Asia. According to the Venerable Pang Khat,
Theravada Buddhism reached Southeast Asia as early as the second or
third century A.D., while Mahayana Buddhism did not arrive in
Cambodia until about A.D. 791. In Southeast Asia, Mahayana Buddhism
carried many Brahman beliefs with it to the royal courts of Funan,
of Champa, and of other states. At this time, Sanskrit words were
added to the Khmer and to the Cham languages. Theravada Buddhism
(with its scriptures in the Pali language), remained influential in
Sri Lanka, and by the thirteenth century it had spread into Burma,
Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, where it supplanted Mahayana
Buddhism.
Data as of December 1987
- Cambodia-Illicit Trade with Thailand and with Singapore
- Cambodia-THE KAMPUCHEAN (OR KHMER) UNITED FRONT FOR NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION AND DEFENSE
- Cambodia-Politics under the Khmer Rouge
- Cambodia-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Cambodia-Airports
- Cambodia-First Plan, 1986-90
- Cambodia-Vietnamese Aid
- Cambodia-The Economy
- Cambodia-Local People's Revolutionary Committees
- Cambodia-Austronesian
- Cambodia-The March 1970 Coup d'Etat
- Cambodia-The Constitution
- Cambodia-Fisheries
- Cambodia-Water Transportation Railroads
- Cambodia-The Khmer People's National Liberation Front
- Cambodia-The Economy under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79
- Cambodia-Handicrafts
- Cambodia-SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION
- Cambodia-Establishing Democratic Kampuchea
- Cambodia-Taxes
- Cambodia-Intraparty Conflict
- Cambodia-ECONOMIC SETTING
- Cambodia-CAMBODIA UNDER SIHANOUK, 1954-70
- Cambodia-INDUSTRY
- Cambodia-Other Religions
- Cambodia-Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces
- Cambodia-The Fall of Phnom Penh
- Cambodia-Petroleum
- Cambodia-HEALTH AND WELFARE
- Cambodia-East Germany
- Cambodia-The Successor State of Chenla
- Cambodia-People's Security Service LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COUNTERSUBVERSION
- Cambodia-Conditions of Service
- Cambodia-Livestock
- Cambodia-PREFACE
- Cambodia-THE ANGKORIAN PERIOD
- Cambodia-GEOGRAPHY
- Cambodia-Natural Resources
- Cambodia-THE MEDIA
- Cambodia-The Second Indochina War, 1954-75
- Cambodia-Democratic Kampuchea
- Cambodia-Composition and Deployment
- Cambodia-FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- Cambodia-CAMBODIA
- Cambodia-Origins of the Coalition
- Cambodia-HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
- Cambodia-The French Protectorate
- Cambodia-ECONOMY
- Cambodia-Distribution Dynamics
- Cambodia-Revolutionary Terror
- Cambodia-Soviet Aid
- Cambodia-Sihanouk's Peacetime Economy, 1953-70
- Cambodia-Public Health
- Cambodia-Foreign Economic and Technical Assistance
- Cambodia-The Geneva Conference
- Cambodia-Protection under the Law
- Cambodia-ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Cambodia-Coalition Government Resistance Forces
- Cambodia-Origins of Buddhism on the Indian Subcontinent
- Cambodia-The Japanese Occupation, 1941-45
- Cambodia-Social Stratification and Social Mobility
- Cambodia-Other Groups
- Cambodia-DOMESTIC COMMERCE
- Cambodia-Public School System
- Cambodia -COUNTRY PROFILE
- Cambodia-The Time of Greatness, A.D - 802-1431
- Cambodia-From "Proximity Talks" to a "Cocktail Party"
- Cambodia-Early Indianized Kingdom of Funan
- Cambodia-The Purge
- Cambodia-PREHISTORY AND EARLY KINGDOMS
- Cambodia-National United Front for an Independent, Peaceful, Neutral, and Cooperative Cambodia
- Cambodia-Soviet Union
- Cambodia-The KPRP Second Congress
- Cambodia-The First Indochina War, 1945-54
- Cambodia-The Council of Ministers
- Cambodia-INTO THE MAELSTROM: INSURRECTION AND WAR, 1967-75
- Cambodia-Vietnam
- Cambodia-Welfare Programs
- Cambodia-The Council of State
- Cambodia-Collectivization and Solidarity Groups
- Cambodia-Early Khmer Rouge Atrocities
- Cambodia-Hydroelectric Power
- Cambodia-Period of Decline, 1431-1863
- Cambodia-Private Education
- Cambodia-Poland
- Cambodia-The Chinese
- Cambodia-Composition of Trade
- Cambodia-THE KAMPUCHEAN, (OR KHMER) PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY PARTY
- Cambodia-MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS IN POSTWAR CAMBODIA
- Cambodia-THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KAMPUCHEA
- Cambodia-The Colonial Economy
- Cambodia-The Khmer
- Cambodia-FOREIGN TRADE AND AID
- Cambodia-Drainage
- Cambodia-AGRICULTURE
- Cambodia-Other Food and Commercial Crops
- Cambodia-Migration and Refugees
- Cambodia-Major Manufacturing Industries
- Cambodia-DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA, 1975-78
- Cambodia-Domestic Developments
- Cambodia-Cambodian Adaptations
- Cambodia-Role of Buddhism in Cambodian Life
- Cambodia-The Coalition's Strategy
- Cambodia-Regional Divisions
- Cambodia-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Cambodia-Foreign Troops and Advisers
- Cambodia-Austroasiatic-Mon-Khmer LANGUAGES
- Cambodia-Vietnamese Invasion of Cambodia
- Cambodia-New Economic Policy and System
- Cambodia-THE FRENCH COLONIAL PERIOD, 1887-1953
- Cambodia-Housing
- Cambodia-The Vietnamese
- Cambodia-Roads and Highways
- Cambodia-The Widening War
- Cambodia-Ports
- Cambodia-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Cambodia-The French Protectorate, 1863-1954
- Cambodia-National Army of Democratic Kampuchea
- Cambodia-Coalition Structure
- Cambodia-Major Trading Partners
- Cambodia-Penal System
- Cambodia-Dress
- Cambodia-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Cambodia-Chinese Religion
- Cambodia-NATIONAL SECURITY
- Cambodia-Buddhism RELIGION
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-The Emergence of Nationalism
- Cambodia-Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste
- Cambodia-ECONOMIC ROLE OF THE KAMPUCHEAN PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY PARTY
- Cambodia-The Search for Peace
- Cambodia-Other Ethnic Groups
- Cambodia-The Wartime Economy, 1970-75
- Cambodia-Climate
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Threats and Capabilities
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS AFTER INDEPENDENCE
- Cambodia-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Cambodia-Government Structure
- Cambodia-Khmer Rouge Armed Forces MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS UNDER THE KHMER ROUGE
- Cambodia-POPULATION
- Cambodia-Topography
- Cambodia-The Judiciary
- Cambodia-Islam
- Cambodia-International and Western Aid
- Cambodia-EDUCATION
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Diet
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Cambodia-The Cambodian Left: The Early Phases
- Cambodia-CAMBODIA'S STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, 1432-1887
- Cambodia-Foreword
- Cambodia-Cambodia in Turmoil
- Cambodia-Domination by Thailand and by Vietnam
- Cambodia-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Cambodia-Background MAJOR POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS, 1977-81
- Cambodia-FINANCE
- Cambodia-Religious and Minority Communities
- Cambodia-The Paris Student Group
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Mission and Doctrine
- Cambodia-Nonaligned Foreign Policy
- Cambodia-Phnom Penh and Its Allies
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Organization and Control
- Cambodia-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Cambodia-COALITION GOVERNMENT OF DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA
- Cambodia-Labor Force
- Cambodia-Buddhist Education
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Rice Production and Cultivation
- Cambodia-Currency Banking
- Cambodia-Society under the Angkar
- Cambodia
- Cambodia-Tenuous Security
- Cambodia-ENVIRONMENT
- Cambodia-Education and Health
- Cambodia-INTRODUCTION
- Cambodia
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 April 1975, after a five-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 December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King Norodom SIHANOUK abdicated the throne and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, and there was little in the way of pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful.
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Location | | Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos
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Area(sq km) | | total: 181,035 sq km land: 176,515 sq km water: 4,520 sq km
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Geographic coordinates | | 13 00 N, 105 00 E
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Land boundaries(km) | | total: 2,572 km border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
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Coastline(km) | | 443 km
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Climate | | tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m
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Natural resources | | oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 20.44% permanent crops: 0.59% other: 78.97% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 2,700 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 476.1 cu km (1999)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 4.08 cu km/yr (1%/0%/98%) per capita: 290 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards | | monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts
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Environment - current issues | | illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
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Geography - note | | a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap
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Population | | 14,494,293 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 2,388,922/female 2,336,439) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 4,498,568/female 4,743,677) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 197,649/female 329,038) (2009 est.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 22.1 years male: 21.4 years female: 22.8 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | 1.765% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 25.73 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 8.08 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | NA
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 22% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 4.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 54.79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 47.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 62.1 years male: 60.03 years female: 64.27 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 3.04 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Cambodian(s) adjective: Cambodian
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Ethnic groups(%) | | Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%
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Religions(%) | | Buddhist 96.4%, Muslim 2.1%, other 1.3%, unspecified 0.2% (1998 census)
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Languages(%) | | Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
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Country name | | conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia conventional short form: Cambodia local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic pronunciation) local short form: Kampuchea former: Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, People's Republic of Kampuchea, State of Cambodia
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Government type | | multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy
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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)
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Administrative divisions | | 23 provinces (khett, singular and plural) and 1 municipality (krong, singular and plural) provinces: Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Keb, Krachen, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Pailin, Pouthisat, Preah Seihanu (Sihanoukville), Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev municipalities: Phnum Penh (Phnom Penh)
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Constitution | | promulgated 21 September 1993
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Legal system | | primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing influence of common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch | | chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985) [co-prime minister from 1993 to 1997]; Permanent Deputy Prime Minister MEN SAM AN (since 25 September 2008); Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since 3 February 1992); SOK AN, TEA BANH, HOR NAMHONG, NHEK BUNCHHAY (since 16 July 2004); BIN CHHIN (since 5 September 2007); KEAT CHHON, YIM CHHAI LY (since 24 September 2008); KE KIMYAN (since 12 March 2009) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: the king is chosen by a Royal Throne Council from among all eligible males of royal descent; following 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 king
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Legislative branch | | bicameral, consists of the Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch, 2 elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by parliamentarians and commune councils; members serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011); National Assembly - last held 27 July 2008 (next to be held in July 2013) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 69%, FUNCINPEC 21%, SRP 10%; seats by party - CPP 45, FUNCINPEC 10, SRP 2; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 58%, SRP 22%, HRP 7%; NRP 6%; FUNCINPEC 5%; others 2%; seats by party - CPP 90, SRP 26, HRP 3, FUNCINPEC 2, NRP 2
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Judicial branch | | Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Cambodian Freedom Fighters or CFF; Partnership for Transparency Fund or PTF (anti-corruption organization); Students Movement for Democracy; The Committee for Free and Fair Elections or Comfrel other: human rights organizations; vendors
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International organization participation | | ACCT, ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Flag description | | three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band note: only national flag to incorporate an actual building in its design
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Economy - overview | | From 2004 to 2007, the economy grew about 10% per year, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector, construction, agriculture, and tourism. Growth dropped to below 7% in 2008 as a result of the global economic slowdown. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodian textile producers were forced to compete directly with lower-priced countries such as China, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. The garment industry currently employs more than 320,000 people and contributes more than 85% of Cambodia's exports. In 2005, exploitable oil deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new revenue stream for the government if commercial extraction begins. Mining also is attracting significant investor interest, particularly in the northern parts of the country. The government has said opportunities exist for mining bauxite, gold, iron and gems. In 2006, a US-Cambodia bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed, and several rounds of discussions have been held since 2007. The tourism industry has continued to grow rapidly, with foreign arrivals exceeding 2 million per year in 2007-08, however, economic troubles abroad will dampen growth in 2009. Rubber exports declined more than 15% in 2008 due to falling world market prices. The global financial crisis is weakening demand for Cambodian exports, and construction is declining due to a shortage of credit. The long-term development of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian government is working with bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs. The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance. More than 50% of the population is less than 21 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $28.01 billion (2008 est.) $26.67 billion (2007 est.) $24.2 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $11.25 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 5% (2008 est.) 10.2% (2007 est.) 10.8% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $2,000 (2008 est.) $1,900 (2007 est.) $1,800 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 29% industry: 30% services: 41% (2007 est.)
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Labor force | | 8.6 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 75% industry: NA% services: NA% (2004 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 3.5% (2007 est.) 2.5% (2000 est.)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 35% (2004)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 34.2% (2007)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 43 (2007 est.) 40 (2004 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 22.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $1.274 billion expenditures: $1.592 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 25% (2008 est.) 5.9% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $591.7 million (31 December 2008) $513.6 million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $2.328 billion (31 December 2008) $2.309 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $1.67 billion (31 December 2008) $1.131 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
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Economic aid - recipient | | $698.2 million pledged in grants and concession loans for 2007 by international donors (2007)
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Agriculture - products | | rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca, silk
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Industries | | tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 8% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | -$1.06 billion (2008 est.) -$506.3 million (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $4.708 billion (2008 est.) $4.089 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear
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Exports - partners(%) | | US 54.4%, Germany 7.7%, Canada 5.9%, UK 5.5%, Vietnam 4.5% (2008)
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Imports | | $6.534 billion (2008 est.) $5.424 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products
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Imports - partners(%) | | Thailand 26.8%, Vietnam 19%, China 14.5%, Hong Kong 8.1%, Singapore 6.9% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $2.641 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $2.143 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $4.127 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $3.89 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Exchange rates | | riels (KHR) per US dollar - 4,070.94 (2008 est.), 4,006 (2007), 4,103 (2006), 4,092.5 (2005), 4,016.25 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | riel (KHR)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 45,100 (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 4.237 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: mobile-phone systems are widely used in urban areas to bypass deficiencies in the fixed-line network; fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage, aided by increasing competition among service providers, is increasing and stands at 30 per 100 persons domestic: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; mobile-phone coverage is rapidly expanding in rural areas international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2008)
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Internet country code | | .kh
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Internet users | | 74,000 (2008)
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Airports | | 17 (2009)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 38,093 km paved: 2,977 km unpaved: 35,116 km (2007)
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Ports and terminals | | Phnom Penh, Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville)
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Military branches | | Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | conscription law of October 2006 requires all males between 18-30 to register for military service; 18-month service obligation (2006)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 3,759,034 females age 16-49: 3,784,333 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 2,673,383 females age 16-49: 2,763,256 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 177,881 female: 175,332 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 3% of GDP (2005 est.)
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Disputes - international | | Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers and claims of Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory; maritime boundary with Vietnam is hampered by unresolved dispute over sovereignty of offshore islands; Thailand accuses Cambodia of obstructing inclusion of Thai areas near Preah Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962, as part of a planned UN World Heritage site
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 1.273 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 65% hydro: 35% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 1.272 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 167 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 4,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 30,970 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.8% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 75,000 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | 6,900 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 73.6% male: 84.7% female: 64.1% (2004 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2006)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.7% of GDP (2004)
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