The Royal Government of Cambodia is committed to addressing population issues based
on the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development
held in Cairo 1994 and subsequent revisions. Hence, the Royal Government recognizes the
central role of reproductive health services, empowerment of women through equal access to
education and public office, and the link between poverty and rapid population growth.
1. Overview of Socio-Economic Development
Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in South-East Asia. Access to good
quality health care and primary and secondary education for the large cohorts of rural poor is
very limited. Poor coverage of critical child health services is one of the factors contributing to
high infant mortality rates and high maternal mortality ratios. In terms of reproductive health
care there is a large unmet need for contraceptives and birth spacing services.
2. The Demographic Situation and Its Implications for Development
Except for Laos, Cambodia currently has the highest population growth rate (at 2.49%) among
ASEAN nations. At the same time the country has experienced a substantial fertility decline
since the 1960s. Between the early 1980s and late 1990s the average number of children born to
a woman decreased from six to four.
Cambodia is characterised by:
• High maternal mortality;
• High infant mortality; and
• High under-five child mortality rates.
About one in five Cambodian women in reproductive age (14-49) died of pregnancy or
pregnancy-related causes. Infant and under-five mortality rates are disturbing. Almost one in
every 10 babies does not survive to his or her first birthday, and after that one in thirty does not
make it from the first to the fifth birthday. The latter figure is closely linked to the high levels of
malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies among children, which is measured by levels of
stunting, wasting, underweight and iron deficiency.
In the past, Cambodia experienced a lot of internal and international migration as the
result of war, violent confrontation and political instability. Present day migration may be more
positive in that it includes important linkages between rural communities and urban monetary
economies as well as more opportunities and better family welfare for migrants. However, rural
out-migration may also result in the loss of human and social capital in communities and lead to
a vicious cycle of lower rural productivity.
The Cambodian population has a large proportion of children and adolescents, and
according to the 1998 Census, more than 40 percent are under 15 years of age. This situation
requires substantial investment into primary and secondary education as well as in adolescent
reproductive health. This is even more important taking the HIV/AIDS epidemic into consideration.
Even though the country has been successful in becoming only the third country to have
reversed the spread of the epidemic, Cambodia is still the most affected country in Asia with the
current prevalence rate at 2.6 percent.