Cambodia is a lower-middle income economy according to the World Bank, and a UN-designated Least Developed Country. Its 2024 GDP of $46 billion accounts for 1.2% of the regional GDP of Southeast Asia. With a population of 17.6 million, Cambodia’s GDP per capita is $2,628, the fourth-lowest in the region.
From 2015 to 2024, 19,719 aid and development projects were implemented in Cambodia by 80 development partners, totalling $25.47 billion in official development finance (ODF).
Key trends
ODF disbursements including grants, loans, and other forms of assistance to Cambodia have grown modestly over time, with Cambodia receiving the fifth-largest volume of ODF in the region. A 2021 peak in spending of $3.6 billion, mostly due to a boost in pandemic-related support, has since levelled out to an average of $2.6 billion annually from 2015 to 2024. Cambodia received $2.8 billion in ODF in 2024, which was about a $178 million increase from 2023.
ODF has fluctuated relative to Cambodia’s economy, rising from 8% of GDP in 2015 to a high of 10% in 2020 and then stabilising around 6% from 2022 to 2024. As one of the region’s poorest economies, Cambodia’s 2024 ODF to GDP ratio is the third-highest. About half of Cambodia’s ODF is received as concessional loans, almost a third as grants, with the rest non-concessional loans.
While ODF disbursements increased slightly in 2024, new commitments continued to decline.
- Spent
- Committed
Development partners
China, Japan, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have been Cambodia’s primary development partners, together accounting for 58.5% of Cambodia’s ODF since 2015.
After a dramatic decrease in China’s spending in Cambodia in 2022, disbursements increased in 2023 and 2024, though 2024 levels were still lower than China’s average yearly spending between 2015 and 2022. In 2024, China accounted for 30% of total ODF to Cambodia, compared to 47% in 2021. A substantial 91% of China’s ODF to Cambodia has been delivered through loans, of which 53% have been concessional. In 2024, transport and storage received the most support from China, followed by agriculture, forestry, and fishing, and communications.
Japan has been a steady development partner, though its ODF support to Cambodia fell by 37% in 2024. Japan’s assistance has been focused on the transport and storage sector, which accounts for 38% of its total ODF to Cambodia from 2015 to 2024, and 44% in 2024. Japan provides another 20% of its ODF to Cambodia to the government and civil society sector. Its support is delivered consistently as grants and concessional loans.
On average, the ADB’s support to Cambodia has grown steadily from 2015 to 2024, with a 2020 peak due to significant Covid budget support. ODF from the ADB to Cambodia fell slightly in 2024 from 2023, but remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. The ADB’s spending is spread through a variety of sectors. In 2024, it contributed most to government and civil society and water and sanitation in Cambodia. The majority (94%) of ADB assistance to Cambodia has been delivered through concessional loans.
The World Bank has greatly expanded its presence in Cambodia, increasing its spending from $5 million in 2015 to $411 million in 2024. Its support is disbursed almost entirely through concessional loans. It was Cambodia’s second-largest development partner in 2024, focusing its support largely in the government and civil society sector.
The rising role of the multilateral development banks in Cambodia has been supplemented by secondary donors such as the United States, South Korea, and France.
Sectors
The transport and storage sector, with a focus on road construction, has received the most ODF support from Cambodia’s development partners. Since 2015, the sector has received 30% of all ODF to Cambodia, well above the regional average of 18%.
Since 2015, 12% of ODF to Cambodia has been spent in the government and civil society sector, though this is still below the regional average of 17%.
The third-largest sector supported by ODF in Cambodia is agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which receives 10% of total ODF. Support in this sector has primarily gone to irrigation and water resource development projects.
Despite Cambodia’s energy generation and access challenges, ODF spending on energy accounts for just under 10% of ODF to Cambodia, far below the regional average of 17%.
- Cambodia
- Regional average
Policy goals
The Southeast Asia Aid Map tracks ODF with integrated policy goals across three policy domains or cross-cutting themes (as distinct from sectors): climate action, gender equality, and disability inclusion.
Cambodia has received increasing levels of policy-integrated ODF. From 2015 to 2024, 6% of Cambodia’s ODF was directed to disability inclusion and 32% to climate action, both slightly below the regional average. Its share targeting gender equality was slightly above the regional average, at 27%.
Provision of intra-regional ODF
Cambodia is the third-largest provider of intra-regional ODF, providing an annual average of $838,015 from 2015 to 2024. Cambodia’s intra-regional assistance usually goes to the humanitarian aid, health, and government and civil society sectors. Other than contributions to regional initiatives, Cambodia has extended ODF to Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Cambodia receives consistent intra-regional ODF from Thailand, mostly to support road construction and education projects. It has also received pandemic support from Vietnam.