Cambodia Population Rises 1.96 Million in Decade

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Written by DAP NEWS -- Tuesday, 08 September 2009 04:27

The 2008 population census final results show that the Cambodian population has increased by 1.96 million over the late 10 years, from 11.4 in 1998 to 13.4 million in 2008, said the Planning Minister on Monday in the ceremony of 2008 Cambodia Population Census Declaration at Chaktomuk Hall.

“Following the census done in 1962, when the Cambodia population was about 5.7 million, Cambodia had not done any census for more than three decades due to internal political issue taking place,” Chhay Thorn said in his speech.

“The 2008 census covered 2.8 million families in separate areas in Cambodia, with almost all families interviewed in 11 working days,” Chhay Thorn confirmed. “The interviews was done by measure See and Count by our about 28,000 officials including 72 provincials officials, 500 trainee teachers, 370 districts census officials, 1621 commune census officials, and 500 interpreters.”

A Planning Ministry press release on Monday claimed that the population density of the country increased from 64 to 75 persons per square kilometer, but the annual growth rate declined from 2.4 percent in 1998 to 1.54 percent in 2008. However, Cambodia accounted for 2.3 percent of the Southeast Asian population of 8.6 percent of the world’s population of 6.7 billion in 1998 and continues to do so in 2008. “While the total fertility rate has been declined to 3.1, the estimated infant mortality rate shows moderate decrease from 66 to 60 per 1,000 live births during 2005-2008,” said the press release, adding that “However, the maternal mortality ratio has not changed much for the past 10 years which it was estimated at 437 in 2000, 472 in 2005 and 461 per 100,000 live births in 2008.”

It is observed that the number of literate aged 7 and more has spectacularly risen from about 5.78 million to 8.96 million during then ten-years, which is increased from 62.80 percent in 1998-2008; Cambodia is the lowest in the Southeast Asia Region after Laos. The number of children aged 6 and more attending school or educational institution have increased from 36,27 percent during 1998-2008 but the proportion of females attending school continues to be less the corresponding proportion for male both in the urban and rural areas.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday claimed that if Cambodia was unsafe, a census would not have been possible.

“The main basis of doing everything is safety and peace, we cannot do a census if our country is peaceful or stable,” the premier said. “I rose directly that Philippine government could not show a real data of population as some rebels are staying in this country.”

Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), claimed that a census was easy. “Census work is very easy if comparing to invent or make polo plane to the moon world,” Yim Sovann told DAP News Cambodia on Monday.

Due to the press release, the 2008 population census results was conducted by National Institute of Statis- tics of the Ministry of Planning, under authority of the National Census Committee and the guidance of the Census Technical Committee and supported by The Royal Government of Cambodia, UNFPA, JICA, the Government of Japan, and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.