Our work in Cambodia

As a rapidly developing country of 17 million people, Cambodia is driven by sustained economic growth. In 2020, Cambodia, like the rest of the world, felt the blunt force of COVID-19. The pandemic, however, reinforced the central role of health and well-being in social and economic development and underpinned the need for bold and innovative action to advance health equity and build health system resilience in Cambodia.

Following decades of recovery from conflict – and drawing from the lessons of the pandemic – Cambodia is focused on a brave vision as it strives to graduate from least-developedcountry status and become an upper-middle-income country by 2030. The first pillar of Cambodia’s Pentagonal Strategy – Phase 1: Growth, Employment, Equity, Efficiency and Sustainability: Building the Foundation Towards Realizing the Cambodia Vision 2050 – focuses on human capital, with investments in health and education driving economic growth and development.

Cambodia has made significant progress in advancing its Sustainable Development Goal agenda, although several challenges persist. Noncommunicable diseases are rising; the communicable disease elimination agenda has yet to be realized; and Cambodia is among the many countries affected by the impact of climate change. While primary health care and social protection continue to expand, improving the quality of services and care is essential for the country to achieve universal health coverage.