Good to know
Good to Know
- Phnom Penh hosts the vast majority of Cambodia's expat community; BKK1 remains the primary expat hub with international schools, embassies, and multinational offices, while newer neighborhoods like Tonle Bassac attract younger professionals and digital nomads.
- The city's startup ecosystem is nascent but maturing, with strong talent (62% of founders are tech-skilled) and growing diversity (35% female founders in tech), though international investor presence and scale remain limited compared to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City.
- Employment for expats centers on NGO work, English teaching, and international organizations; salaries are higher in Phnom Penh than elsewhere in Cambodia but modest by global standards.
- Cambodia's young demographic (median age 26.4 nationally) combined with rising internet penetration (66%) creates favorable conditions for startups targeting local digital needs.
- Only one international unicorn startup (Grab) has established an office in Phnom Penh, indicating the ecosystem remains early-stage relative to regional competitors.
Language
- Official Language
- Khmer
Secondary Languages
- English (widely spoken among expats and young professionals)
- French (historical colonial influence)
Religion
- Islam
- small minority
- Christianity
- small minority
- Theravada Buddhism
- ~97.1%
Population
- Growth Rate Annual
- 3.17
- Year
- 2024
- Metro Area
- 2281000
- Total City
- 2352851
Age Demographics
- Youth Under 25
- ~50% of Cambodian population
- Median Age Cambodia
- 26.4
- Note
- Young demographic drives startup ecosystem and tech adoption
Ethnic Composition
- Other
- ~5-10%
- Chinese
- ~15% of city (or ~2.4% nationally)
- Vietnamese
- ~20% of city (or minority nationally)
- Khmer Cambodian
- ~90%
- Note
- Ethnic breakdowns vary by source; city figures differ from national. Primary Khmer ethnic group dominates.
Business And Tech Presence
- Global Startup Rank
- 536
- Ecosystem Growth 2025
- +46.3%
- Num Startups Identified
- 47
- Startup Ecosystem Health
- early-stage but growing
Dominant Sectors
- Fintech and digital payments
- E-commerce and logistics
- Digital media
- AI and machine learning
- Agri-tech
- Healthcare tech
Notable Startups
- Grab (international unicorn with office presence)
- BookMeBus (travel/transport)
- Camboticket (booking platform)
- ABi Technologies (AI)
- Fintel (fintech/payments)
- Beebush (gamified e-commerce)
- ATEC Biodigesters (agri-tech)
- Mitosis Bioscience (biotech diagnostics)
Internet Connectivity
- Internet Users
- 11.68 million nationally (~66% penetration)
- Mobile Adoption
- high and growing
Key Accelerators & Incubators
- Impact Hub Phnom Penh
- Techo Startup Center
- SmallWorld Ventures
- Startup Grind Phnom Penh
Startup Community Indicators
- Female Founders Percent
- ~35% in ICT sector
- Tech Skilled Founders Percent
- 62%
- Ease Of Doing Business Score
- 54%
- International Unicorn Offices
- 1
Foreign Residents Expat Presence
- Foreign Born Percent
- estimated 10-15% of city population
- Estimated Total Expats
- ~100000
- Primary Expat Nationalities
- Western (European, North American, Australian), Korean, and Japanese communities present
Key Expat Neighborhoods
- BKK1 (Boeung Keng Kang 1)
- Tonle Bassac
- Daun Penh/Riverside
- Toul Kork
- BKK2/BKK3
Primary Expat Employers
- NGOs (several hundred)
- English language schools
- International organizations
- UN agencies
- Foreign embassies
- Multinational corporations
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.ceicdata.com
- 2.macrotrends.net
- 3.en.wikipedia.org
- 4.worldpopulationreview.com
- 5.ebsco.com
- 6.rumavi.com
- 7.acs-ami.com
- 8.movetocambodia.com
- 9.phnompenh.com
- 10.cambodianess.com
- 11.pacificprime.com
- 12.internationalliving.com
- 13.startupsandplaces.com
- 14.startupgrind.com
- 15.femaleswitch.com
- 16.nucamp.co
- 17.linkedin.com
- 18.tharum.com
- 19.startupblink.com
- 20.techcollectivesea.com
- 21.startupblink.com
- 22.exchange-rates.org
- 23.investing.com
- 24.exchange-rates.org
More About Phnom Penh
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.