Cambodia: jobs and pay

What is the unemployment rate in Cambodia?

Cambodia's unemployment rate was 3.6% in 2025, according to the National Institute of Statistics, based on its Cambodia Labour Force Survey 2025. The survey report counts about 9.1 million employed people and 342,067 unemployed people.

The survey counts as unemployed people of working age who had no work, were available and were looking for work. According to the report, 69.0% of the working-age population was employed and 28.4%, about 3.7 million people, was outside the labour force. The full 2025 report was published in Khmer in October 2026, with an English version listed on the same page.

Official sources: National Institute of Statistics · Cambodia Labour Force Survey 2025

How many people in Cambodia are in work?

Cambodia's labour force aged 15 to 64 was more than 9.3 million people in 2023, and 84.2% of people of working age were in the labour force, according to the National Institute of Statistics' Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2023. Participation was 79.5% for women and 89.1% for men.

The survey found an employment rate of 83.6% and an unemployment rate of 0.7%. 33.4% of workers were in agriculture and other primary activities, 26.7% in industry and 39.9% in services. The labour force counts people who are working or looking for work, including those working on family farms, which is one reason participation is high.

Official sources: Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2023

Where does household income in Cambodia come from?

52.4% of Cambodian household income came from wages and salaries in 2023, and 39.7% from self-employment in farming and other businesses, according to the National Institute of Statistics' Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2023. Transfers received, such as money from relatives, made up 7.9%.

The survey also found that 1.35 million households, about 33.8% of the total, had debts on the day they were interviewed. Self-employment income includes the value of owner-occupied housing and of food grown for the household's own use. The survey covered more than 10,000 households across all 25 provinces from January to December 2023.

Official sources: Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2023

How many children work in Cambodia?

11.9% of children aged 5 to 17 in Cambodia were working children in 2023, according to the National Institute of Statistics' Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2023. Of these working children, 30.3% were also in school and 69.7% were not.

The survey also asked why children aged 6 to 17 were not attending school. The most common reason was that they had to contribute to household income (31.7%), followed by not doing well in school (17.8%), not wanting to go (16.7%) and being too poor (15.2%). The figures come from household interviews and use the survey's own definition of working children.

Official sources: Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey 2023

How many Cambodians work for themselves or their family?

52.3% of workers in Cambodia were in vulnerable employment in 2025, according to modelled International Labour Organization estimates published by the World Bank. The share has fallen slowly from 53.8% in 2020.

Vulnerable employment counts own-account workers, who work for themselves without employees, and contributing family workers, who help in a family business or farm. These jobs are less likely to come with a formal contract or social security. The estimates are modelled from national labour force surveys, so they can differ from the National Institute of Statistics' own survey results.

Official sources: World Bank

How much is the minimum wage in Cambodia?

200 KHR a month (about $0): that is the statutory minimum wage in Cambodia for 2024, according to the ILO. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2012.

How much do workers in Cambodia earn on average?

According to the ILO, average monthly earnings of employees in Cambodia was $289 a month in 2025. No year since 2012 has been higher. Worldwide: 52nd of 57.

How high is unemployment in Cambodia?

0.3%: that is the unemployment rate in Cambodia for 2025, according to the ILO. The peak was 1.3% in 2007 and the low 0.1% in 2019. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 2.9%, and Cambodia placed 24th highest of 24. Worldwide: 173rd of 174.

What is the youth unemployment rate in Cambodia?

The ILO puts unemployment among 15 to 24 year olds in Cambodia at 0.7% in 2025. The peak was 2.0% in 2007 and the low 0.4% in 2019. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 7.5%, and Cambodia placed 24th highest of 24. Worldwide: 172nd of 174.

What is the labour force participation rate in Cambodia?

According to the ILO, the labour force participation rate in Cambodia was 82.4% in 2025. Since 2005 it has ranged from 78.9% (2008) to 85.4% (2011). It is 2nd highest of 24 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 65.3%. Worldwide: 6th of 174.

What share of women in Cambodia are in the labour force?

The latest figure from the ILO, for 2025, is 77.4%. Since 2005 it has ranged from 72.0% (2008) to 81.8% (2011). It is 3rd highest of 24 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 56.3%. Worldwide: 7th of 174.

What share of adults in Cambodia have a job?

In 2025, the employment to population ratio in Cambodia was 82.2%, according to the ILO. Its high point since 2005 was 2011, at 84.9%; its low point was 2008, at 78.3%. It is 2nd highest of 24 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 63.1%. Worldwide: 5th of 174.

How many workers in Cambodia are self-employed or family workers?

52.3%: that is the share of workers who are own-account or contributing family workers in Cambodia for 2025, according to the ILO. That is the lowest since at least 2005. East Asia & Pacific median: 40.0%; Cambodia is 8th highest of 24. World rank, highest first: 50th of 174.

What share of workers in Cambodia earn a wage or salary?

According to the ILO, the share of workers who are paid employees in Cambodia was 44.5% in 2025. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. Across East Asia & Pacific the middle value was 56.8%, and Cambodia placed 17th highest of 24. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 125th highest.