In some ways, population experts say, there is much to be celebrated in looking at Cambodia’s 5.1 percent population growth rate.
At the end of a decade of war and Khmer Rouge genocide, the country had only 4 million people. Today, the country is more than 12 million strong, which is why one demographer titled her book about Cambodia’s recovery “Prolific Survivors.”
But not all the growth is good, experts say.
“We can say that the booming of the Cambodian population after the Khmer Rouge has affected the resources of Cambodia. So, there’s a problem, from what I can see,” said the UN Population Fund’s Khieu Vicheanon.
For Cambodia, as in many Southeast Asian nations, the growing birth rate means more mouths to feed, with fewer resources with which to do it—especially in the cities—unless governments can learn to be more responsive, said Peter Swan, technical adviser of the UN Center for Human Settlements in Phnom Penh.
“An increase in urban population does not imply an increase in urban poverty. In fact, a city with a growing economy and competent local government should be able to accommodate a growing population,” Swan said.
Cambodia is not alone in facing this crunch. According to the UNCHS report released ahead of World Population Day, observed Wednesday, many Asian cities have a “mismatch between the functional powers of local governments and the financial resources available to them.”
In other words, unchecked population growth increases a country’s problems exponentially, especially in this country, Khieu Vicheanon said.
“Overactive population growth intensifies poverty in Cambodia,” he said.
Phnom Penh’s annual growth rate exceeds the regional average, estimated by the UNCHS report to be 3.57 percent, due partly to those migrating to the city from the provinces and partly to an increasing urban birth rate.
For approximately a quarter the people in Phnom Penh, according to Swan, an increasing population can only aggravate their poverty, as more and more people crowd in to fewer and fewer spaces. Approximately 250,000 people live in squatter villages, which not only deprive their residents of adequate living conditions, but also keep them from full participation in urban life and services, according to the UNCHS report.
Although squatter villages supply the work force for many of Phnom Penh’s services, such as motorbike taxi drivers and market peddlers, squatters do not receive health care from the government and often have to pay four to six times as much as homeowners for electricity, Swan said.
Seng Souern, the National Institute of Statistics deputy director, said that most of Phnom Penh’s migrant population will eventually return to the provinces. Swan, however, said that while this is true for 5 percent to 10 percent of the squatters, most will stay in the city.
But the problem is not only centered on the cities, Khieu Vicheanon said.
“Some people are saying that Cambodia will add another 3 million to its population between 2001 and 2004. But the farm land is still the same. This is a problem,” he said.
Overall, Swan and the UNCHS report state that the government is still the key.
“Reform of governance institutions and strengthening of local actors” are essential for cities to overcome overpopulation problems, the UNCHS report states.
And now is an excellent time to start, Swan said. The commune elections, scheduled for next February, could give Cambodia the chance to “help meet the specific needs of residents and provide reform from the bottom up.”
If it is any consolation, Cambodia does not face the perils of rapid population growth alone, and at least worldwide expertise and experience can be accessed to help find solutions, Khieu Vicheanon said.
“The concern of the world is rapid population growth,” he said.
