Cambodia

Kingdom of Cambodia │ កម្ពុជា

Cambodia has made significant economic growth driven by solid performances in the garment manufacturing sector. Cambodia’s garment, textiles and footwear (GTF) sector is worth US$9.4 billion and employs over 650,000 workers in exporting factories, with 250,000 to 400,000 more workers estimated to be working in the sub-contracting sector. Over 80 per cent of workers in the sector are young women who remit income to support the livelihoods of their families. The industry has made significant contributions to Cambodia’s strong GDP growth and related employment creation. Between 2013 and 2018, the export value of the Cambodian GTF sector grew by 75 per cent.

This sector continues to play a leading role in the Cambodian economy, accounting for approximately 74 per cent of Cambodia’s total merchandise exports in 2018. While traditional markets (US, the EU) have declined recently in significance, continued diversification can be seen in exports to Japanese and Canadian markets and include an emerging export market to China. Despite these impressive numbers, there are concerns that continued growth in the garment sector cannot be sustained. Cambodia’s competitiveness is being challenged by a rapid increase in the minimum wage and a lack of supply chain integration with almost all fabric and materials being imported, mainly from China.

Country Profile Industry Stakeholders Sources

Population

Total

16,767,842 (2022)

Gross Domestic Product

GDP per Capita (constant USD, thousand)

1,786.6 (2022)

Human Development Index Ranking

HDI Rank (out of 191 countries)

146 (2021)

Garment/Textile Workers

Number of workers in the garment/textile sector

671,509 (2021)

Women Workers in the Garment/Textile Industry

Percentage of women workers employed in the garment/textile industry

82% (2021)

Number of Garment/Textile Factories

Number of factories in the garment/textile industry

718 (2021)

Garment/Textile Industry Exports

(USD$ billion)

USD 11.2 billion (2021)

Garment/Textile Industry Size

Percentage of total exports

64.3% (2021)

Key Garment/Textile Export Markets

Top five countries ($USD value exported and subsequent percentage)

Country	Percentage of Exports
United States	32.7%
Japan	9.52%
Germany	9.2%
United Kingdom	8.35%
Canada	8.3%

Government Entities

Government agencies actively involved in the garment/textile industry

Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT)
Department of Labour Inspectorate (DoL)
Ministry of Commerce (MoC)
Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF)
Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC)

Worker Organizations

Trade unions, Union federations, and other worker organizations

Cambodian Confederation of Trade Union (CCTU)
National Independent Federation Textile Union of Cambodia (NIFTUC)
Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (CCAWDU)
Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC)
Cambodia Federation of Independent Trade Unions (CFITU)
Cambodia Labour Union Federation (CLUF)
Cambodian Union Federation (CUF)

Employer/Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce

Employers and industry related associations, private sectors associations and chambers of commerce

Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC)
Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA)
Cambodia Footwear Association (CFA)
American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham)
European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham)
Australian Chamber of Commerce (AusCham)
British Chamber of Commerce (BritCham)

Development Agencies/ International Organizations

National and international development organizations working within the garment/textile industry

Civil Society Organizations/ Non-governmental Organizations

Organizations working within the garment/textile industry

CARE

Solidarity Center Cambodia
CARE Cambodia

Sources of data provided

Population: Population, total | Data (worldbank.org)
GDP Per Capita: GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) | Data (worldbank.org)
HDI: Country Insights | Human Development Reports (undp.org)
Garment / Textile Workers: Cambodia Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods Sector Brief Issue No. 1 November 2022, Huot Chea, GIZ, ILO, TAFTAC
*Figures are for Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods (GFT)
Women Workers in the Garment /Textile Industry: Cambodia Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods Sector Brief Issue No. 1 November 2022, Huot Chea, GIZ, ILO, TAFTAC
*Figures are for Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods (GFT)
Number of Garment / Textile Factories: Cambodia Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods Sector Brief Issue No. 1 November 2022, Huot Chea, GIZ, ILO, TAFTAC
*Figures are for Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods (GFT)
Garment / Textile Industry Exports: Cambodia Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods Sector Brief Issue No. 1 November 2022, Huot Chea, GIZ, ILO, TAFTAC
*Figures are for Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods (GFT)
Garment / Textile Industry Size: Exports of goods and services (current US$) - Cambodia | Data (worldbank.org); Cambodia Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods Sector Brief Issue No. 1 November 2022, Huot Chea, GIZ, ILO, TAFTAC
*Figures are for Garment, Footwear and Travel Goods (GFT)
Key Garment / Textile Export Market: https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/KHM/Year/2019/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/all/Product/50-63_TextCloth
*Textiles and Clothing Exports in 2020

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