Language: The official language of Cambodia is Khmer which is spoken by the majority of the population. French is also spoken by older Cambodians and is taught in a few schools and colleges. Because of the widespread use of English, especially by tourists from the west, the language is also gaining popularity in Cambodia.
Population: The country has 16 million-plus people as of 2018. Majority of the people belongs to Khmer ethnic group and speak the Khmer language. In addition to this, the country also has a minority population comprising of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Chams.
A peculiar feature of the Cambodian population is that the majority of people are under 20 years of age. This can be attributed to the widespread killing of people during the Khmer Rouge rule. The fall of the Khmer Rouge resulted in a baby boom in the years after that.
Religion: Buddhism is the religion followed by the majority of the people in the country. Almost 95 Percentage of the population followed Theravada Buddhism. The Chinese and Vietnamese in Cambodia follows Mahayana Buddhism. There are several Buddhist monasteries in the country that are worth visiting. Buddhism in Cambodia is influenced by Hinduism and Animism. Islam is also practised by 2% of the population.
Economy: Cambodia is purely an agrarian economy with rice, timber, and rubber being the major export items. In addition to this, the garment industry is also thriving in large scale accounting to 80% of the country’s export.
Tourism: Tourism is the second-largest source of revenue of the country, next to textiles. The major tourist destinations of Cambodia are Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province, beaches in Sihanoukville, and the capital city of Phnom Penh. Tourists mainly come from both Eastern and Western countries like Japan, China, Philippines, America, and France.
