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Kingdom of Cambodia
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Capital City
Phnom Penh
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Population
17,3 million
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Area
181.035 km²
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Head of State
King NORODOM Sihamoni
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Prime Minister
HUN Manet
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Minister of Foreign Affairs
SOK Chenda Sophea
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Offical language
Khmer
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Currency
Riel
(1 USD=4.110 Riel)
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GDP
32.41 billion USD (2023)
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Government Type
Constitutional Monarchy
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Independence Day
9 November 1953
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Parliament
consists of National Assembly (125 seats) and Senate (62
seats)
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Ethnic Groups:
%90 Khmer, %10 Vietnamese, Chinese and other
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Prominent International Organizations of which
Cambodia is a member:
United Nations (UN)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO)
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
International Labor Organization (ILO)
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
World Health Organization (WHO)
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for
Palestinian Development (CEAPAD)
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Historical and Political Outlook of Cambodia
Cambodia is located south of the Mekong Delta in Southeast Asia, where
Indian and Chinese cultures intersect. Funan was the first state known to
be established in the Cambodian geography between the 1st and 6th centuries
AD. The Angkor Empire, which reigned between the 9th and 15th centuries, is
historically considered the most influential state established in the Khmer
geography.
Cambodia, which came under French rule in 1863, gained its independence in
1953.
Cambodia was completely isolated from the outer world during the Khmer
Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. As a result of the events that took
place during this period, defined as genocide by Cambodia, one-fourth of
the country's population (1.5-2 million people), especially the educated
and minorities, lost their lives, and the country came to the point of
economic, political and human destruction. The United Nations Transitional
Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) took over the administration of the country
in 1992-1993. Following the Paris Peace Conference in 1991, the new
constitution was approved in 1993, and a constitutional monarchy based on
multi-party democracy was established, followed by the first democratic
election.
King Norodom Sihamoni ascended to the throne in 2004. Last general
elections were held in July 2023, with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party
(CPP) winning 120 (of the 125) seats in the National Assembly with 82.3% of
the votes nationwide. The pro-monarchy FUNCINPEC won 5 seats. A new
government was formed on August 22, headed by Hun Manet, the son of former
Prime Minister Hun Sen. Senate elections were held on February 25, 2024.
The ruling CPP won representation in the Senate with 58 (62) members.
Former Prime Minister Hun Sen was elected as Senate President.
Economic Outlook of Cambodia
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GDP (billion USD)
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32.41
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Inflation (%)
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5,2
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GDP growth rate (%)
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5,6
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Unemployment rate (%)
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0,7
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Population (million)
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17.3
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Export (billion USD)
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22.64
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GDP per capita (USD)
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1.917
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Import (billion USD)
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24.18
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*2023 data (Source: Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Kingdom of
Cambodia)
Major trading partners: USA, PRC, Vietnam, Japan, Tailand
Major export items: textiles, apparel, shoes, electrical
machinery and components, rice.
Main import items: ready-made clothing intermediates,
petroleum products, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles,
cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Cambodia became a member of the World Trade Organization in 2003 and has
entered a rapid economic growth trend since 2004 (%7 average before the
Covid-19 pandemic; %5.6 declared by the Government for 2023). Cambodia is
still considered as a Least Developed Country.
The UN ECOSOC, in 2024, is expected to approve the decision of the
Committee for Development Policy
to graduate Cambodia from the LDC status and grant a five-year transition
period in the UN General Assembly at the end of 2024. Cambodia aims to
graduate from LDC status by 2030.