Cambodia - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Cambodia. A land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap (Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake). Mother's mean age at first birth is 23.3 years (2021-22 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 218 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Cambodia
Location Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos
Geographic coordinates 13 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references Southeast Asia
Tarrain mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Natural Resources oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential, arable land
Natural Hazards monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts
Irrigated Land 3,540 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km) Mekong (shared with China [s], Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam [m]) - 4,350 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 2,530 km
Border Countries Laos 555 km; Thailand 817 km; Vietnam 1158 km
Coastline 443 km
Climate tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation
Area
Total Area
Land Area 176,515 sq km
Water Area 4,520 sq km
comparative Area one and a half times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oklahoma
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Phnum Aoral 1,810 m
Lowest point Gulf of Thailand 0 m
Mean elevation 126 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 32.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 22.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 8.5% (2018 est.)
Forest 56.5% (2018 est.)
Other 11.4% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

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

People and Society

In Cambodia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Khmer 95.4%, Cham 2.4%, Chinese 1.5%, other 0.7% (2019-20 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.99% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 18.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 7.5% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 1.9 beds/1,000 population (2016)
Total fertility rate 2.17 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.06 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 56.3% (2014)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 66.4% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 3.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -2.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Cambodian | Cambodian(s)
Languages
Religions Buddhist (official) 97.1%, Muslim 2%, Christian 0.3%, other 0.5% (2019 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 28.9% (male 2,497,056/female 2,436,618)
15-64 years 65.8% (male 5,456,941/female 5,765,206)
65 years and over 5.3% (2024 est.) (male 323,591/female 584,257)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 53.4
Youth dependency ratio 45
Elderly dependency ratio 8.5
Potential support ratio 11.8 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 27.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 26.9 years
Female 28.9 years
Urbanization
Urban population 25.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.06% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 2.281 million PHNOM PENH (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.55 male(s)/female
Total population 0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 27.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 31.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 24.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 71.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 69.6 years
Female 73.3 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.3% of population
Improved: rural rural: 80.6% of population
Improved: total total: 85.1% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.7% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 19.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 14.9% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 69.3% of population
Improved: total total: 76.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 30.7% of population
Unimproved: total total: 23.2% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria
Animal contact diseases Rabies
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 4.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 4.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 21.1% (2020 est.)
Male 36.1% (2020 est.)
Female 6% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Cambodia is a predominantly rural country with among the most ethnically and religiously homogenous populations in Southeast Asia: more than 95% of its inhabitants are Khmer and more than 95% are Buddhist.  The population’s size and age structure shrank and then rebounded during the 20th century as a result of conflict and mass death.  During the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979 as many as 1.5 to 2 million people are estimated to have been killed or died as a result of starvation, disease, or overwork – a loss of about 25% of the population.  At the same time, emigration was high, and the fertility rate sharply declined.  In the 1980s, after the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge, fertility nearly doubled and reached pre-Khmer Rouge levels of close to 7 children per woman, reflecting in part higher infant survival rates.  The baby boom was followed by a sustained fertility decline starting in the early 1990s, eventually decreasing from 3.8 in 2000 to 2.9 in 2010, although the rate varied by income, education, and rural versus urban location.  Despite continuing fertility reduction, Cambodia still has a youthful population that is likely to maintain population growth through population momentum. Improvements have also been made in mortality, life expectancy, and contraceptive prevalence, although reducing malnutrition among children remains stalled.  Differences in health indicators are pronounced between urban and rural areas, which experience greater poverty.

Cambodia is predominantly a country of migration, driven by the search for work, education, or marriage.  Internal migration is more prevalent than international migration, with rural to urban migration being the most common, followed by rural to rural migration.  Urban migration focuses on the pursuit of unskilled or semi-skilled jobs in Phnom Penh, with men working mainly in the construction industry and women working in garment factories.  Most Cambodians who migrate abroad do so illegally using brokers because it is cheaper and faster than through formal channels, but doing so puts them at risk of being trafficked for forced labor or sexual exploitation.  Young Cambodian men and women migrate short distances across the Thai border using temporary passes to work in agriculture, while others migrate long distances primarily into Thailand and Malaysia for work in agriculture, fishing, construction, manufacturing, and domestic service.  Cambodia was a refugee sending country in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime, its ousting by the Vietnamese invasion, and the resultant civil war.  Tens of thousands of Cambodians fled to Thailand; more than 100,000 were resettled in the US in the 1980s.  Cambodia signed a multi-million dollar agreement with Australia in 2014 to voluntarily resettle refugees seeking shelter in Australia.  However, the deal has proven to be a failure because of poor conditions and a lack of support services for the few refugees willing to accept the offer.

All Important Facts about Cambodia

Want to know more about Cambodia? Check all different factbooks for Cambodia below.

Cambodia is found in South-Eastern Asia