Hun Sen: Cambodia’s economy is expected to grow by 5.2% in 2025

Hun Sen, chairman of the Cambodian People’s Party and Senate, said on the 28th local time that Cambodia’s economic growth trend in the first half of 2025 is good, and the country’s economy is expected to grow by 5.2% this year.

The Cambodian People’s Party held a celebration for the 74th anniversary of the party’s founding in Phnom Penh that day, and Hun Sen made the above statement during his speech.

Hun Sen pointed out that Cambodia’s economy has been running smoothly in the first half of this year, inflation is at a low level, the riel (Cambodian currency) exchange rate is stable, and foreign exchange reserves continue to grow. In the first five months, Cambodia’s international trade volume reached US$25.5 billion, an increase of 18% year-on-year; the Cambodian Development Council approved 290 investment projects with a total investment of US$4.2 billion, both of which achieved substantial growth; 2.95 million international tourists were received, an increase of 11.7% year-on-year.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet attended the country’s Small and Medium Enterprises Day event on the evening of the 27th and said that Cambodia is currently continuing to attract a large amount of foreign investment, and industrial growth is strong, which is expected to reach about 7.8% this year. He said earlier this month that Cambodia’s economic growth was driven by industry, services and agriculture, reflecting the continuous improvement of the country’s economic structure, the steady improvement of people’s living standards, and the positive steps taken in an uncertain global economic environment.

Compared with the optimism of Cambodian officials, the latest “Global Economic Prospects” report released by the World Bank appears to be more cautious. The report lowered the forecast for Cambodia’s economic growth in 2025 from 5.5% at the beginning of the year to 4%, and it is expected to rebound to 4.5% in 2026.

The World Bank report also pointed out that amid the intensifying global uncertainty, the Cambodian economy still showed strong resilience.