Cambodia
Asia · South-Eastern Asia
Ultra cheap with easy long-stay visas; recovering from a tragic history and growing fast.
Backpacker
Ideal destination
At a Glance
📈Cambodia's Human Development Index
0.600
Medium human development#146 of 191 countries worldwide, #39 of 43 in Asia.
Higher than 24% of countries with data. UNDP Human Development Report.
UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita.
Closest indicators in this dataset
World Bank, own vintages. UNDP’s own component values are not carried here, so these are related measures rather than the index inputs.
Nearest countries by HDI
Full HDI ranking, all 191 countries →Cambodia
Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country whose most famous sight, the temple complex of Angkor Wat, is only the beginning of what it offers. The Mekong River, the floating villages of Tonle Sap Lake, and the tropical beaches of the south complement a culture of deep Buddhist tradition and extraordinary resilience. The warmth of Cambodian people, given the weight of recent history, is something visitors consistently find humbling and memorable.
- Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument ever built — larger than Vatican City by a factor of 40.
- Has one of the highest landmine densities in the world, legacy of the 1970s–90s war.
- Went from one of the world's worst genocides to one of Asia's fastest-growing economies.
Quick Facts
Capital
Phnom Penh
Language
Khmer
Currency
៛ KHR
Area
176,520 km²
Nomad Hub
Fixed Broadband
52Mbps
Mobile
159Mbps
GDP / Capita
$3K
PPP / Capita
$9K
Inflation
2.4%
Unemployment
0.3%
Innovation (GII)
21.9
GNI / Capita
$3K
Tax Revenue
12.2%
FDI Inflows
9.9%
Education Spend
2.2%
Cost of Living
34.8
Price Level Index
77th pct
20-Year Trend + IMF Forecast
Income & inflation over time
HDI since 1990
0.379 → 0.600 (+0.221)Year by year →UNDP Human Development Report, 2023-24 edition. 33 annual values, none interpolated; hover any point for its year.
Twenty years here
Year by year →The world report →World Bank observations, first to last available year per indicator (roughly 2005–2024; each series has its own window).
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Cambodia head-to-head
💬Quick answers
What is Cambodia's Human Development Index?
Cambodia's Human Development Index is 0.600 (UNDP Human Development Report), ranked #146 of 191 countries.
Is Cambodia safe?
Cambodia scores 2.08 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #95 of 160 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.
How expensive is Cambodia?
Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Cambodia at 34.8 (New York = 100); that is #46 cheapest of 143 countries with data.
What is life expectancy in Cambodia?
Life expectancy at birth in Cambodia is 70.8 yrs (World Bank), ranked #128 of 195 countries.