Articles | 2026-10-01
The Middle-Income Trap: Will Cambodia Be Able to Escape It?
- Publication History
- Published online: October 1, 2026
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.35877/454RI.qems4967
- Copyright
- Copyright (c) 2026 SettingsVitou Tes
- User License
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Abstract
Cambodia has enjoyed peace, political stability, and steady economic growth for the past two decades. These achievements enabled the country to attain lower-middle-income status in 2015, inspiring the Royal Government of Cambodia to set an ambitious goal of transforming Cambodia into an upper-income economy by 2030 and a high-income economy by 2050. Within this context, the present article examines the issue of the middle-income trap in Cambodia, assessing whether and when the country can escape the middle-income trap, a phenomenon where countries stall in economic growth and struggle to adopt more advanced technology. Drawing on secondary data, particularly from the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme, this analysis shows that Cambodia could become an upper-middle-income economy by 2033 if it can sustain an average annual growth rate of 6.36%. The analysis also indicates that to become a high-income economy, Cambodia will need to boost its annual growth rate of 8.42% for 18 years before it can achieve the high-income status by 2051. The article argues that to achieve these development goals, Cambodia must adopt a catch-up growth model, substantially invest in education, especially industry-oriented education, and establish stronger institutions. The article concludes with suggestions for future research into strategies that can enable Cambodia to escape the middle-income trap.
Keywords
References (82)
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How to Cite
Tes, V., & Heng, K. (2025). The Middle-Income Trap: Will Cambodia Be Able to Escape It?. Quantitative Economics and Management Studies, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.35877/454RI.qems4967
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Copyright (c) 2026 SettingsVitou Tes 
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