Despite current global political and economic instability, Cambodia continues to attract strong foreign direct investment (FDI). During the first nine months of 2025, nearly 550 investment projects were approved for implementation in Cambodia — an increase of more than 70% compared to the same period in 2024.
An October 2 press release from the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) stated that from January to September, the Cambodian Investment Board under the CDC approved a total of 546 investment projects; 214 of them in Special Economic Zones (SEZs.
This represented an increase of 231 projects or 73% compared to the same period in 2024. The total investment capital amounted to $7.8 billion, a rise of $2.5 billion or 47%.
The top sources of investment were China: 52.96%, Cambodia: 30.15%, Singapore: 6.93% and Vietnam: 5.24%. Additional sources included the British Virgin Islands, UK, Cayman Islands, Samoa, Bermuda and the US.
“In just nine months, the number of approved investment projects has already surpassed the total number for the entire year of 2024 by 132 projects,” it noted.
According to the CDC, $5.3 billion of total investment capital went to the industrial sector, $405 million to agriculture and agro-industry, $175 million to tourism and $1.9 billion to infrastructure and other sectors.
In September 2025 alone, the CDC approved 55 investment projects with a total capital of $467 million, which are expected to create around 37,000 jobs. Of them, 38 were located outside SEZs and 17 within SEZs.
Sam Soknoeun, board chairman of SAM SN Group, told The Post on October 3 that Cambodia’s favourable political climate, investment laws, transportation infrastructure and young labour force are all key factors contributing to the country’s growing attractiveness to both domestic and international investors.
He added that both the Cambodian government and private sector are working hard to promote the country internationally, while reforms are underway to streamline online business registration and offer various tax incentives.
“The government’s attentiveness plays a crucial role in building investor confidence across all nationalities and sectors interested in opening factories or conducting trade in Cambodia. FDI will continue to grow even more in the near future,” he said.
Lim Heng, vice-president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, believed the high number of approved projects and investments is a testament to investor confidence and the perceived strength of Cambodia’s market. He highlighted Cambodia’s political stability, strong economic growth and numerous free trade agreements, especially with China.
He emphasised that improvements to Cambodia’s legal investment framework and transport infrastructure are additional drivers for increasing investment inflows.
“What’s especially notable now is the growing investment in medium and heavy industries — this number is expected to keep rising going forward,” he said.
He added that the government’s policy of promoting Cambodia’s economic integration globally is another motivating factor that will continue to draw more investors to commit capital to Cambodia.
In 2024, a total of 414 investment projects were approved by the CDC.
