Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

Cambodia: population and ages

Cambodia: 18 million people on 1 January 2026.

The UN projects growth until 2078, to a peak of 23.4 million, and a decline after that.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
17,951,445
Median age
26.4
Births in 2026
352,442
Deaths in 2026
118,566
Life expectancy at birth
71.1
Children per woman
2.49
Under 15
29.4%
65 and over
6.5%
Population pyramid, Cambodia, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+0100K100K200K200K
Population pyramid, Cambodia, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 4.38 million people, so the population is now 4.1 times as large.

The UN projects 352,000 births and 119,000 deaths in 2026, 234,000 more births than deaths.

The UN projects the first year with more deaths than births in 2088.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202405M10M15M20M25M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 Cambodia: 18.1M

Ages

The median age is 26.4, which is 4.7 years below the world’s 31.1.

29% of the people are under 15 and 6.5% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

The UN projects that people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 15 from 2080.

Women have 2.5 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 6.5 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 71.1 years, below the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 38.9.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100CambodiaWorld
2026 Cambodia: 26World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 21.9 million people, 21% more than now, with a median age of 32.2.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 20240200K400K600K1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 352.4KDeaths: 118.6K

Compare Cambodia with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 20% of the people lived in cities, 50% in towns and semi-dense areas and 31% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 23% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet68.5%2024
Access to electricity99.2%2024
Adult literacy (ages 15 and over)71.9%2021
82.8%2024
83.3%2024
57.0%2024
Human Development Index0.6062023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 70.7 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 15.9 more years for women and 14.2 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 10.1 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 17.4.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 22.7 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 8.41 million to 56.4 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 83,900 international migrants lived here, 0.5% of the population.

In mid-2024, 779,000 people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Vietnam41,357
Thailand34,957
China1,721
France311
Laos294
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
Thailand375,635
United States171,380
France57,402
Australia43,862
South Korea33,452

Counted by country of birth. Refugees are included. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 10.

CityPopulation 2025
Phnum Pénh (Phnom Penh)2,261,055
Siem Reap352,948
Battambang179,778
Anlong Veng172,053
Poipet127,995
Sihanoukville105,307
Trapeang Prasat96,464
Phumi Roessei77,897
Sisophon62,066
Kampong Cham56,032

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

Cambodia every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
19504,375,25717.5203,959106,29838.96.53
19605,449,96617.1239,161114,92542.16.31
19706,639,18216.5278,911156,07938.66.07
19805,199,87216.7245,42686,26947.55.77
19907,374,75217.2341,96592,18955.25.64
200012,462,33617.0354,758108,41959.53.79
201014,500,72621.3363,03890,76867.32.86
202016,725,47425.1374,795106,05170.12.70
203018,827,38827.1345,224128,90471.82.38
204020,540,68229.6341,923156,87673.22.17
205021,931,45532.2327,811183,31874.52.03
206022,852,98635.0305,587210,96475.91.95
207023,296,12137.1290,887240,32977.21.89
208023,379,53939.0272,181253,04178.51.85
209023,198,28341.0253,024261,02579.81.82
210022,738,85842.7236,756274,48181.11.80

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

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