Cambodia’s large-scale industrial plants surge 25% by June

Cambodia’s large-scale industrial plants surge 25% by June

Vanndy says Cambodia’s industrial evolution is shifting from cheap labour to high-value manufacturing.

Cambodia’s industrial manufacturing sector has recorded explosive growth, with the number of operational large-scale factories surging by more than 25 percent year-on-year as of June 2026, according to the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation.

As of June 2026, Cambodia had 3,319 large-scale operating factories with a total investment of approximately $27.8 billion, up 25 percent compared with the same period last year, its Minister Hem Vanndy said.

Those factories provide more than 1.3 million jobs, Vanndy said at the opening ceremony of the Cambodia Industrial Development Conference and Industrial Expo 2026 held last Friday in Phnom Penh.

In his address to manufacturers, investors, and digital tech firms, the minister said that Cambodia’s transition from competing primarily on low production costs to an industrial model driven by technology, innovation, productivity and quality enabled Cambodian industries to move further up regional and global value chains.

“Cambodia’s industrial development is entering a new stage, marked by a growing number of factories, investment, employment and industrial production value, reflecting investors’ confidence in the stability, potential and future of Cambodia’s industrial sector,” Vanndy said.

He also highlighted the rapid transformation of global manufacturing driven by advances in artificial intelligence (AI), automation, robotics and digital technologies, which are increasingly shaping industrial competitiveness around the world.

khmertimeskh