Demographics of Cambodia

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Demographics of Cambodia
Cambodia single age population pyramid 2020.png
Cambodia population pyramid in 2020
Growth rateIncrease 1.63% (2014)
Birth rate22.5 births/1,000 population
(2018 est.)[1]
Death rate6.0 deaths/1,000 population
(2018 est.)
Life expectancy69.6 years (2018 est.)[2]
 • male67.3 years
 • female71.6 years
Fertility rate2.66 children born/woman
(2014 est.)
Infant mortality rate24 deaths/1,000 live births
(2018 est.)[3]
Net migration rateDecrease 0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years31.9%
15–64 years64.3%
65 and over3.8%
Sex ratio
Total0.94 male(s)/female (2013)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
65 and over0.6 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality
  • noun: Cambodian(s)
    adjective: Cambodian
  • Khmer: ខ្មែរ Khmêr
Major ethnicKhmer
Minor ethnicChinese, Vietnamese, Cham, and others
Language
OfficialKhmer

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.

Population[]

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
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%
2021 16,946,438+15.3%
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, the population 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 dependents. 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 CBR1 CDR1 NC1 TFR1 IMR1
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
2019 15,552,211 2.51

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
Kratié 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
Takéo 2.4 3.9 3.7
Oddar Meanchey 3.0 8.5 4.6
Battambang/Pailin 2.9 5.5 3.8
Kampot/Kep 2.5 4.9 3.9
Sihanoukville/Koh Kong 2.7 5.8 4.1
Preah Vihear/Stung Treng 3.6 9.5 5.2
Mondulkiri/Ratanakiri 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[]

Further information: Ethnic groups in Cambodia
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 sub region 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
Main article: Khmer language

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 Khmers most heavily concentrate. Other Khmer dialects include the Phnom Penh variety, as well as Northern Khmer (Surin Khmer), 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 and Jarai (Austronesian) as well as Thai and Lao (Tai-Kadai).

Languages of education

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

Sign language

Religions[]

Main article: Religion in Cambodia
Religion in Cambodia
Religion percent
Theravada Buddhism
 
 95.5%
Mahayana Buddhism
 
 1.6%
Islam
 
 2.0%
Christianity
 
 0.3%
Others
 
 0.5%
Buddhism: 97.1%, Islam: 2.0%, Christianity: 0.3%, Others: 0.5%

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: 39.4% of total population (2019)[20]
Rate of urbanization: 7.8% annual rate of change (2008—2019)
 
  • v
  • t
Largest cities or towns in Cambodia
2019 Census[21]
Rank Name Province Pop. Rank Name Province Pop.
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Siem Reap
Siem Reap 		1 Phnom Penh – 2,281,951 11 Chbar Mon Kampong Speu 50,359 Battambang
Battambang
Sisophon
Sisophon
2 Siem Reap Siem Reap 245,494 12 Bavet Svay Rieng 43,783
3 Battambang Battambang 119,251 13 Doun Kaev Takéo 43,402
4 Sisophon Banteay Meanchey 99,019 14 Svay Rieng Svay Rieng 41,424
5 Poipet Banteay Meanchey 98,934 15 Kampong Chhnang Kampong Chhnang 41,080
6 Ta Khmau Kandal 75,629 16 Kampong Cham Kampong Cham 38,365
7 Sihanoukville Preah Sihanouk 73,036 17 Pailin Pailin 37,393
8 Samraong Oddar Meanchey 70,944 18 Prey Veng Prey Veng 36,254
9 Pursat Pursat 58,355 19 Suong Tboung Khmum 35,054
10 Stueng Saen Kampong Thom 53,118 20 Kampot Kampot 32,053

Literacy[]

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 88.5%
Male: 91.1%
Female: 86.2% (2019)

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
  •  South Korea

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. ^ a b "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. ^ "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". Archived from the original on 21 September 2004.
  7. ^ http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  8. ^ a b c d e "National Institute of Statistics CAMBODIA DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY 2010".
  9. ^ "Cambodia - Demographic and Health Survey 2010".
  10. ^ http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR251/OD43.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ "Cambodia DHS, 2014 - Final Report (English)" (PDF).
  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.
  20. ^ http://nis.gov.kh/nis/Census2019/Final%20General%20Population%20Census%202019-English.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  21. ^ "General Population Census of the Kingdom of Cambodia 2019 – Final Results" (PDF). National Institute of Statistics. Ministry of Planning. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.

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

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