Demographics of Cambodia

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Cambodia, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Demographics of Cambodia
Cambodia population pyramid in 2020]]
Growth rate	1.63% (2014)
Birth rate	22.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)[1]
Death rate	6.0 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Life expectancy	69.6 years (2018 est.)[2]
• male	67.3 years
• female	71.6 years
Fertility rate	2.66 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Infant mortality rate	24 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)[3]
Net migration rate	0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	31.9%
15–64 years	64.3%
65 and over	3.8%
Sex ratio
Total	0.94 male(s)/female (2013)
At birth	1.05 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.6 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	noun: Cambodian(s) adjective: Cambodian
Major ethnic	Khmer
Minor ethnic	Chinese, Vietnamese, Cham, Thai, Lao
Language
Official	Khmer

Population

Historical populations

Year	Pop.	±%
1876	890,000	—
1901	1,103,000	+23.9%
1911	1,487,900	+34.9%
1921	2,402,600	+61.5%
1931	2,806,000	+16.8%
1947	3,296,000	+17.5%
1951	4,261,000	+29.3%
1961	5,510,000	+29.3%
1971	7,270,000	+31.9%
1981	6,682,000	−8.1%
1991	8,810,000	+31.8%
2001	12,353,000	+40.2%
2011	14,701,717	+19.0%
2020	16,926,984	+15.1%
Source: CIA World Factbook

Between 1874 and 1921, the total population of Cambodia increased from about 946,000 to 2.4 million. By 1950, it had increased to between 3,710,107 and 4,073,967, and in 1962 it had reached 5.7 million. From the 1960s until 1975, the population of Cambodia increased by about 2.2% yearly, the lowest increase in Southeast Asia. By 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took power, it was estimated at 7.3 million. Of this total an estimated one to two million reportedly died between 1975 and 1978. In 1981, the PRK gave the official population figure as nearly 6.7 million, although approximately 6.3 million to 6.4 million is probably more accurate. The average annual rate of population growth from 1978 to 1985 was 2.3% (see table 2, Appendix A). A post-Khmer Rouge baby boom pushed the population above 10 million, although growth has slowed in recent years.

In 1959, about 45% of the population was under 15 years of age. By 1962, this had increased slightly to 46%. In 1962, an estimated 52% of the population was between 15 and 64 years of age, while 2% were older than 65. The percentage of males and females in the three groups was almost the same.

Population and age distribution[4]

Cambodian Population Pyramid-2005

Population pyramid, urban-rural, Cambodia, 2019 [5]

	Total population (thousands)	Population aged 0–14 (%)	Population aged 15–64 (%)	Population aged 65+ (%)
1950	4 346	42.2	55.1	2.7
1955	4 840	42.3	55.0	2.7
1960	5 433	42.5	54.8	2.7
1965	6 141	42.8	54.4	2.7
1970	6 938	43.2	54.0	2.8
1975	7 308	42.3	54.9	2.8
1980	6 306	39.0	58.1	2.9
1985	7 920	42.1	55.0	2.9
1990	9 532	43.8	53.4	2.8
1995	11 169	47.5	49.7	2.8
2000	12 447	41.6	55.4	3.0
2005	13 358	36.4	60.3	3.3
2010	14 138	31.9	64.3	3.8
2015	15 521	31.6	64.3	4.1
2020	16 719	30.9	64.2	4.9

Structure of the population[6]

Structure of the population (01.07.2013) (Estimates) (Excluding foreign diplomatic personnel and their dependants. Data based on the 2008 Population Census) :

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	7 320 112	7 642 479	14 962 591	100
0-4	806 531	777 854	1 584 385	10,59
5-9	721 480	693 339	1 414 819	9,46
10-14	768 899	735 963	1 504 862	10,06
15-19	878 612	830 980	1 709 592	11,43
20-24	848 931	800 737	1 649 668	11,03
25-29	678 825	712 044	1 390 869	9,30
30-34	613 674	637 973	1 251 647	8,37
35-39	338 735	363 397	702 132	4,69
40-44	411 072	441 415	852 487	5,70
45-49	344 372	395 214	739 586	4,94
50-54	295 645	352 214	648 347	4,33
55-59	190 528	288 806	479 334	3,20
60-64	153 721	218 867	372 588	2,49
65-69	105 605	147 502	253 107	1,69
70-74	76 017	108 069	184 086	1,23
75-79	47 601	72 558	120 159	0,80
80+	39 864	65 059	104 923	0,70

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	2 296 910	2 207 156	4 504 066	30,10
15-64	4 754 115	5 042 135	9 796 250	65,47
65+	269 087	393 188	662 275	4,43

Vital statistics

UN estimates[4]

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR^1	CDR^1	NC^1	TFR^1	IMR^1
1950-1955	208 000	109 000	99 000	45.4	23.8	21.6	6.29	165.1
1955-1960	232 000	113 000	119 000	45.2	22.1	23.1	6.29	152.0
1960-1965	260 000	118 000	142 000	44.9	20.4	24.5	6.29	139.5
1965-1970	287 000	127 000	160 000	43.9	19.4	24.5	6.22	130.0
1970-1975	280 000	158 000	122 000	39.9	22.5	17.4	5.54	180.9
1975-1980	227 000	272 000	- 45 000	33.4	40.0	-6.6	4.70	263.2
1980-1985	410 000	127 000	283 000	56.9	17.7	39.2	7.00	134.0
1985-1990	407 000	115 000	292 000	46.7	13.2	33.5	6.00	97.9
1990-1995	417 000	121 000	296 000	40.3	11.3	29.0	5.44	90.0
1995-2000	358 000	121 000	237 000	30.3	10.2	20.1	4.32	83.3
2000-2005				26.4	8.3	18.1	3.44
2005-2010				26.3	6.9	19.4	3.08
2010-2015				24.5	6.3	18.2	2.70
2015-2020				22.7	6.0	16.7	2.52
2020-2025				20.4	6.1	14.3	2.39
2025-2030				18.6	6.3	12.3	2.29
^1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births

Births and deaths[7]

Year	Population	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Rate of natural increase	TFR
2004		384,267	124,391	259,876

Fertility

The total fertility rate in Cambodia was 3.0 children per woman in 2010.[8] The fertility rate was 4.0 children in 2000.[8] Women in urban areas have 2.2 children on average, compared with 3.3 children per woman in rural areas.[8] Fertility is highest in Mondol Kiri and Rattanak Kiri Provinces, where women have an average of 4.5 children, and lowest in Phnom Penh where women have an average of 2.0 children.[8]

Fertility and Births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[9] [10]

Year	CBR (Total)	TFR (Total)	CBR (Urban)	TFR (Urban)	CBR (Rural)	TFR (Rural)
1995-1998	29,0	4,11	25,0	3,31	29,0	4,25
2000	27,7	4,0 (3,1)	23,9	3,1 (2,5)	28,3	4,2 (3,2)
2005	25,6	3,4 (2,8)	23,8	2,8 (2,3)	25,9	3,5 (2,9)
2010	24,2	3,0 (2,6)	21,0	2,2 (2,0)	25,0	3,3 (2,8)
2014	22,0	2,7 (2,4)	20,2	2,1 (1,9)	22,4	2,9 (2,6)

Total fertility rate per province in Cambodia in 2014

Total fertility rate and other related statistics by province, as of 2014:[11]

Province	Total fertility rate	Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant	Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49
Banteay Meanchey	2.8	5.2	4.0
Kampong Cham	3.3	3.5	3.9
Kampong Chhnang	2.4	5.4	4.2
Kampong Speu	2.4	6.3	4.1
Kampong Thom	2.9	5.8	4.4
Kandal	2.5	5.7	3.9
Kratie	3.6	7.3	4.5
Phnom Penh	2.0	4.6	2.8
Prey Veng	3.0	4.9	3.5
Pursat	3.1	5.9	4.0
Siem Reap	2.7	5.2	3.9
Svay Rieng	2.5	5.7	3.4
Takeo	2.4	3.9	3.7
Otdar Meanchey	3.0	8.5	4.6
Battambang/Pailin	2.9	5.5	3.8
Kampot/Kep	2.5	4.9	3.9
Preah Sihanouk/Koh Kong	2.7	5.8	4.1
Preah Vihear/Stung Treng	3.6	9.5	5.2
Mondul Kiri/Ratanak Kiri	3.3	6.9	4.8

Infant and childhood mortality

Childhood mortality rates are decreasing in Cambodia.[8] Currently, the infant mortality rate is 45 deaths per 1,000 live births for the five-year period before the survey compared with 66 deaths reported in the 2005 CDHS and 95 in the 2000 CDHS. Under-five mortality rates have also decreased from 124 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000, 83 deaths in 2005 to 54 deaths per 1,000 in 2010.

Childhood mortality decreases markedly with mother’s education and wealth. Infant mortality, for example, is twice as high among children whose mothers have no schooling compared to those with secondary or higher education (72 versus 31). The association with wealth is even stronger. There are 77 deaths per 1,000 live births among infants from the poorest households compared to only 23 deaths per 1,000 live births among infants from the richest households.

Mortality rates are much higher in rural than urban areas. Infant mortality, for example, is 64 deaths per 1,000 live births in rural areas compared to only 22 in urban areas. Mortality also differs by province. Infant mortality ranges from only 13 deaths per 1,000 live births in Phnom Penh to 78 deaths per 1,000 live births in Kampong Chhnang and Svay Rieng.

Life expectancy

In 1959, life expectancy at birth was 44.2 years for males and 43.3 years for females. By 1970, life expectancy had increased by about 2.5 years since 1945. The greater longevity for females apparently reflected improved health practices during maternity and childbirth.

Period	Life expectancy in Years	Period	Life expectancy in Years
1950–1955	40.3	1985–1990	52.0
1955–1960	41.1	1990–1995	54.3
1960–1965	41.4	1995–2000	56.4
1965–1970	42.0	2000–2005	60.8
1970–1975	37.8	2005–2010	65.1
1975–1980	14.5	2010–2015	67.6
1980–1985	52.0

Source: UN World Population Prospects[12]

Ethnic groups

An ethnic map of Cambodia from 1972.

The largest of the ethnic groups in Cambodia are the Khmer, who comprise approximately 90% of the total population and primarily inhabit the lowland Mekong subregion and the central plains.

The Khmer historically have lived near the lower Mekong River in a contiguous arc that runs from the southern Khorat Plateau where modern-day Thailand, Laos and Cambodia meet in the northeast, stretching southwest through the lands surrounding Tonle Sap lake to the Cardamom Mountains, then continues back southeast to the mouth of the Mekong River in southeastern Vietnam.

Ethnic groups in Cambodia other than the politically and socially dominant Khmer are classified as either "indigenous ethnic minorities" or "non-indigenous ethnic minorities". The indigenous ethnic minorities, more commonly collectively referred to as the Khmer Loeu ("upland Khmer"), constitute the majority in the remote mountainous provinces of Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri and Stung Treng and are present in substantial numbers in Kratie Province.

Approximately 17-21 separate ethnic groups, most of whom speak Austroasiatic languages related to Khmer, are included in the Khmer Loeu designation, including the Kuy and Tampuan people. These peoples are considered by the Khmer to be the aboriginal inhabitants of the land. Two of these highland groups, the Rade and the Jarai, are Chamic peoples who speak Austronesian languages descended from ancient Cham. These indigenous ethnic minorities haven't integrated into Khmer culture and follow their traditional animist beliefs.

Ethnic group	Population	% of total*
Khmer	13,684,985	90%
Vietnamese	760,277	5.0%
Chinese	152,055	1%
Other	608,222	4%

The non-indigenous ethnic minorities include immigrants and their descendants who live among the Khmer and have adopted, at least nominally, Khmer culture and language. The three groups most often included are the Chinese Cambodians, Vietnamese and Cham peoples. The Chinese have immigrated to Cambodia from different regions of China throughout Cambodia's history, integrating into Cambodian society and today Chinese Cambodians or Cambodians of mixed Sino-Khmer ancestry dominate the business community, politics and the media. The Cham are descendants of refugees from the various wars of the historical kingdom of Champa. The Cham live amongst the Khmer in the central plains but in contrast to the Khmer who are Theravada Buddhists, the vast majority of Cham follow Islam.[13]

There are also small numbers of other minority groups. Tai peoples in Cambodia include the Lao along the Mekong at the northeast border, Thai (urban and rural), and the culturally Burmese Kola, who have visibly influenced the culture of Pailin Province. Even smaller numbers of recent Hmong immigrants reside along the Lao border and various Burmese peoples have immigrated to the capital, Phnom Penh.

Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%.[14]

Languages

Official language

Khmer. Khmer is an Austroasiatic language spoken by over 90% of the Cambodian population.[15] The vast majority of Khmer speakers use the Central Khmer dialect. Central Khmer is the variety spoken in the central plain where the ethnic Khmer are most heavily concentrated. Other Khmer dialects include the Phnom Penh variety, as well as Northern Khmer (Khmer Surin), Western Khmer (Cardamom Khmer), Southern Khmer (Khmer Krom), and the Khmer Khe dialect in Stung Treng province. The Northern Khmer dialect is also spoken by over a million Khmers in the southern regions of Northeast Thailand. Western Khmer displays features of the Middle Khmer language, and is considered a conservative dialect. Southern Khmer is the first language of the Khmer Krom people in the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam.

Minority languages

According to Glottolog, 22 languages other than Khmer are spoken in Cambodia,[16] most of which are also Austroasiatic languages. Other Austroasiatic languages of Cambodia include Kuy, Por (Pear), Somray, Chong, Suoy, Sa'och, Tampuan, Kaco', Stieng, Mnong, Brao, Krung (Rade), and Sou (Laven). Many of these languages are also spoken in Vietnam. Vietnamese itself is also spoken in parts of Cambodia.[17] Non-Austroasiatic minority languages of Cambodia include Cham (Austronesian), Thai, Lao and Jarai (all Tai-Kadai).

Languages of education

English and French are used to different extents in education.[18][19]

Sign language

Cambodian Sign Language

Religions

Religion in Cambodia
Religion			percent
Theravada Buddhism			92%
Mahayana Buddhism			3%
Islam			1.6%
Christianity			0.2%
Others			3.2%

Buddhism: 95%, Islam: 1.6%, Christianity: 0.2%, Others: 3.2%

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

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 2016 est.)

Population growth rate

• 1.56% (2016 est.)
• 1.698% (2011 est.)
• 1.71% (2010 est.)
• 1.77% (2009 est.)
• 1.75% (2008 est)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.65 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female

Total Population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 64.5 years

Male: 62 years

Female: 67.1 years (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate

0.63% (2015 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS

74,100 (2015 est.)

63,000 (2009 est.)

75,000 (2007 est.)

Deaths

1,000 (2011 est.)

2,000 (2015 est.)

3,100 (2009 est.)

6,900 (2007 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Cambodian(s) or Khmer(s)

Adjective: Cambodian or Khmer

Urbanization

Urban population: 20.7% of total population (2015)

Rate of urbanization: 2.65% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 77.2%

Male: 84.5%

Female: 70.5% (2015 est.)

Education expenditure

1.9% of GDP (2014)

Diaspora

Countries with notable populations of Cambodians are:

•  Thailand
•  Vietnam
•  United States
•  France
•  Malaysia
•  Australia
•  Canada
•  New Zealand
•  China
  •  Hong Kong
•  UK
•  Laos
•  Singapore
•   Switzerland

References

1. "Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) - Cambodia". World Bank. 8 June 2020.
2. "Life expectancy at birth, total (years) - Cambodia". World Bank. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
3. "Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) - Cambodia". World Bank. 7 June 2020.
4. Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
5. "General Population Census of Cambodia 2019" (PDF). National Institute of Statistics, Cambodia, p. 33.
6. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm
7. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf
8. National Institute of Statistics CAMBODIA DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY 2010
9. http://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/1421
10. http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR251/OD43.pdf
11. Cambodia DHS, 2014 - Final Report (English)
12. "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Retrieved 15 July 2017.
13. "Cambodia Ethnic Groups". Cambodia-travel.com. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
14. CIA factbook
15. Haiman, John. (2011). Cambodian : Khmer. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. Co. ISBN 978-90-272-8502-7. OCLC 758491354.
16. "Glottolog 4.3 - Languages". glottolog.org. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
17. "Mother Tongue". Cambodia - Cambodia Inter-Censal Population Survey 2013, Count People and Households. Cambodian National Institute of Statistics. Archived from the original on February 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2017. Warning: these figures indicate the number of cases found in the data file. They cannot be interpreted as summary statistics of the population of interest.
18. The World Factbook
19. (in French) La langue française dans le monde, 2014, Éditions Nathan, p. 18.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2008 edition".