Cambodia secures record $10 billion in investment in 2025, creating 438,000 jobs

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Jan. 6, 2026) — Cambodia recorded its strongest year on record for investment approvals in 2025, securing more than $10 billion across 630 projects expected to generate over 438,000 jobs, the Council for the Development of Cambodia said Tuesday.

The CDC reported a 52% increase in approved projects compared with 2024, while total investment capital rose 45% from $6.9 billion to $10 billion — marking a second consecutive year of record growth.

Of the projects approved in 2025, 387 were outside Special Economic Zones and 243 inside, reflecting broad-based expansion nationwide.

Investment was led by the industrial sector at $5.6 billion, followed by infrastructure development at $3.8 billion, agriculture and agro-industry at $436 million, and tourism at $175 million.

Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol, first vice chairman of the CDC, said the surge underscores growing confidence in Cambodia’s business climate and regulatory framework.

He credited Cambodia’s preferential trade agreement with the United States — which set a 19% tariff rate, the first of its kind globally — with creating greater certainty for exporters and strengthening Cambodia’s appeal as a manufacturing and investment hub.

Chanthol said the agreement provides clarity and high confidence for investors targeting the U.S. market, adding that the government remains committed to facilitating investment and supporting sustainable economic growth.