Cambodia’s oil, gas import costs jump nearly 54% in first 9 months

Cambodia’s oil, gas import costs jump nearly 54% in first 9 months

Cambodia’s total imports of diesel fuel, gasoline and combustion gas reached $2.82 billion in the first nine months of 2026, marking a 53.8% surge from $1.84 billion during the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) yesterday.

A breakdown of the data shows the Kingdom spent $1.47 billion on diesel fuel from January to September, a 48% year-on-year increase. Gasoline imports jumped 76% to $1.04 billion, while combustion gas expenditures rose 23% to $314 million.

Thong Mengdavid, deputy director of the China-ASEAN Studies Centre at the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, attributed the spike to a mix of domestic and international factors.

“Rising industrial production, expanding transport and logistics networks, and heightened electricity demand are key drivers of this surge,” he said.

He noted that the country’s accelerating economic momentum is colliding with global fuel price hikes triggered by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

According to data from the MoC yesterday, the retail price of regular gasoline stood at 5,150 riels ($1.27) per litre, a 33.7% surge compared to pre-Middle East conflict levels. Meanwhile, diesel prices reached 5,650 riels ($1.39) per litre, marking a 46.7% spike.

Cambodia currently relies entirely on petroleum imports, as the Southeast Asian nation has yet to exploit its offshore oil and gas reserves. 

khmertimeskh