Cambodia is a developing country emerging from decades of civil conflict and economic stagnation to being a dynamic emerging ASEAN economy. Cambodia has achieved impressive economic growth since the mid-1990s and has made significant progress in reducing national poverty. It is ranked 124th out of 169 countries on the UNDP 2010 Human Development Index. According to the Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey, the poverty rate decreased from 35 percent in 2004 to 30 percent in 2007. The government's Commune Database, which provides an estimate of the annual poverty rate, estimates the 2010 poverty rate to be 25.8 percent. The proportion of the population under the food poverty line is 18 percent according to 2007 government data.
Impressive progress has been made over the years on most key health indicators, as reported by the most recent demographic health survey. However, malnutrition rates in Cambodia remain stubbornly high; almost 40 percent of children are chronically malnourished and micronutrient deficiencies, especially iron, vitamin A and iodine, are high among children under five and pregnant and lactating women. The maternal mortality ratio is 461 per 100,000 live births and life expectancy is low at 58 years for men and 64 years for women.
While Cambodia produces a surplus of paddy rice for export, household access to sufficient and nutritious food remains a serious challenge due to high rates of poverty, frequent flooding and droughts, low levels of irrigation and poor storage facilities among other factors.
RSS Feeds
