Overview: The Cambodian economy - virtually destroyed by decades of war - is slowly recovering. Government leaders are moving toward restoring fiscal and monetary discipline and have established good working relations with international financial institutions. Despite such positive developments, the reconstruction effort faces many tough challenges. Rural Cambodia, where 90% of almost ten million Khmer live, remains mired in poverty. The almost total lack of basic infrastructure in the countryside will hinder development and will contribute to a growing imbalance in growth between urban and rural areas over the near term. Moreover, the new government's lack of experience in administering economic and technical assistance programs, and rampant corruption among officials, will slow the growth of critical public sector investment. Inflation for 1993 as a whole was 60%, less than a quarter of the 1992 rate, and was declining during the year. The government hoped the rate would fall to 10% in early 1994.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 7.5% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $600 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 60% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $350 million
expenditures: $350 million, including capital expenditures of $133 million (1994 est.)

Exports: $70 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities: natural rubber, rice, pepper, raw timber
partners: Thailand, Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Vietnam

Imports: $360 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities: international food aid; fuels, consumer goods, machinery
partners: Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam

External debt: total outstanding bilateral official debt to OECD members $248 million (yearend 1991), plus 840 million ruble debt to former CEMA countries

Industrial production: growth rate 15.6% (year NA); accounts for 10% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 35,000 kW
production: 70 million kWh
consumption per capita: 9 kWh (1990)

Industries: rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining

Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; mainly subsistence farming except for rubber plantations; main crops - rice, rubber, corn; food shortages - rice, meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour

Illicit drugs: secondary transshipment country for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $725 million; Western (non-US countries) (1970-89), $300 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $1.8 billion; donor countries and multilateral institutions pledged $880 million in assistance in 1992

Currency: 1 new riel (CR) = 100 sen
Exchange rates: riels (CR) per US$1 - 2,390 (December 1993), 2,800 (September 1992), 500 (December 1991), 560 (1990), 159.00 (1988), 100.00 (1987)

Fiscal year: calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Cambodia on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cambodia Economy 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cambodia Economy 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.