Cambodia's trade hits $58.49 billion as regional imports climb

Imports grew faster than overseas sales

The country imported $31.01 billion in goods between January and September, a 26% increase on the same period of 2025. Exports rose 18% to $27.47 billion. The difference left Cambodia with a merchandise trade deficit of approximately $3.54 billion, according to figures carried by the state news agency AKP.

Imports include inputs that local manufacturers need, along with petroleum, vehicles, electronics and other goods. Cambodia's exports span clothing, footwear, travel goods, agricultural products and manufactured items such as tyres and electrical equipment. The trade figures do not establish how much of the extra import spending went towards production rather than final consumption.

For practical context, see Cambodia economy and finance. This development also connects with Cambodia Sets 2027 Garment Minimum Wage at $212.

RCEP accounts for 61.2% of two-way trade, not exports

Commerce Ministry figures reported by Xinhua on October 8 and AKP on October 9 put Cambodia's January–September trade with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership members at $35.79 billion, up 21.3% from a year earlier. That is roughly 61.2% of the country's total merchandise trade.

The export and import figures tell a more specific story. Cambodia shipped $8.03 billion in goods to RCEP partners, an increase of about 8.1%, while purchases from those economies totalled roughly $27.8 billion. RCEP destinations therefore represented only about 29% of Cambodian exports, even though the bloc dominates the country's combined import-export turnover.

RCEP has been in force since 2022 and covers 15 Asia-Pacific economies. China, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and Thailand were Cambodia's leading trading partners within the group during the period, according to Xinhua.

A bigger trade market does not tell every company the same story

For businesses considering Cambodia as a manufacturing or distribution base, the regional breakdown highlights two separate questions: where inputs are sourced and where finished products find customers. Stronger trade flows can be relevant to both, but national totals say nothing about the prices and delivery terms facing an individual firm.

Nor does faster merchandise trade establish that household incomes, retail prices or property values are moving at the same rate. Anyone assessing a particular business still needs evidence about its customers, supply costs and operating margins. The latest data offers useful economic context, not a forecast of individual returns.