Cambodia
Cambodia
Civil registration in Cambodia is the responsibility of the General Department of Identification within the Ministry of Interior. Registration of all vital events is free and birth registration, in particular, must be performed within 30 days while death and marriage registrations must occur within 15 days. Birth, marriage and death certificates are generally issued within 3 days of registration. Cambodia's birth registration system is still paper-based and the 1,646 commune (sangkat) offices act as registration points, with Commune Chiefs serving as local registrars for vital events.
Hospitals issue death notification forms with less frequency than birth notification forms, and deaths must be registered in the commune of the deceased's permanent residence. Deaths occurring in health facilities are sometimes issued a medical certificate with cause of death information, but this certificate does not meet international standards and is not linked to the CRVS system.
Instead, doctors will enter cause of death information into their facility's ward register book. This information is then coded (not according to the ICD-10 system), used to prepare a monthly report, and entered into the online Health Management Information System used by more than 1,000 public health facilities. Health facilities are not obligated to report vital events and few private facilities report data to either the General Department of Identification or the Ministry of Health. Verbal autopsy is not presently being used in Cambodia.
Cambodia does not currently produce vital statistics reports based on civil registration data, however, some data on registration of vital events is available on the General Department of Identification website.
CRVS Focal Point:
Mr. Sok Chamroeun, Deputy Director General of General Department of Identification
Cambodia
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.B
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.C
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
1.D
By 2024, at least 30 per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
1.E
By 2024, at least 30 per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 Targets:
2.A
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
2.B
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 Targets:
3.A
By 2023, annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources
3.B
By 2023, annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate), geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
3.C
By 2024, at least 30 per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate)
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced by 30 per cent compared with the baseline year.
3.E
By 2024, at least 10 per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
3.F
By 2024, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
3.G
By 2023, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
3.H
By 2023, an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 is an expression of the internationally accepted principle of the universal coverage of civil registration. The CRVS system should register all vital events occurring in the territory and jurisdiction of the country or area, including among hard-to-reach and marginalized populations.
National Targets:
1.A
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of births in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
Note: This country has not submitted estimates for the number of births for all years. The level of completeness of birth registration was therefore assessed with international estimates for every year, to allow comparison. These measurements are therefore to be interpreted with caution.
BASELINE
201440%
MIDTERM
201866%
TARGET
202490%
1.B
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of children under 5 years old in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
MIDTERM
201473.3%
TARGET
202490%
1.C
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of all individuals in the territory and jurisdiction have had their birth registered.
TARGET
202490%
1.D
By 2024, at least 30 per cent of all deaths that take place in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are registered.
Note: This country has not submitted estimates for the number of deaths for all years. The level of completeness of death registration was therefore assessed with international estimates for every year, to allow comparison. These measurements are therefore to be interpreted with caution.
baseline
201424%
MIDTERM
201836%
TARGET
202430%
1.E
By 2024, at least 30 per cent of all deaths recorded by the health sector in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year have a medically certified cause of death recorded using the international form of the death certificate.
baseline
201556.2%
MIDTERM
201872%
TARGET
202430%
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 reflects that CRVS systems provide legal documentation of civil registration to individuals and families for legal and administrative purposes. Legal documentation is strongly linked with a broad range of rights and activities, in particular legal identity. This goal addresses the distinction between the civil registration of a vital event and the possession of formal proof that it took place, in the form of legal documentation.
National Targets:
2.A
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of all births registered in the territory and jurisdiction are accompanied with the issuance of an official birth certificate that includes, as a minimum, the individual’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and name of parent(s) where known.
baseline
2018100%
TARGET
202490%
2.B
By 2024, at least 90 per cent of all deaths registered in the territory and jurisdiction in the given year are accompanied with the issuance of an official death certificate which includes, as a minimum, the deceased’s name, date of death, sex, and age.
baseline
2014100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
202490%
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 highlights the critical importance of civil registration being linked to the production and quality assurance of vital statistics on the occurrence and characteristics of vital events.
National Targets:
3.A
By 2023, annual nationally representative statistics on births – disaggregated by age of mother, sex of child, geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources
TARGET
2023
3.B
By 2023, annual nationally representative statistics on deaths – disaggregated by age, sex, cause of death defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate), geographic area and administrative subdivision – are produced from registration records or other valid administrative data sources.
TARGET
2023
3.C
By 2024, at least 30 per cent of deaths occurring in health facilities or with the attention of a medical practitioner have an underlying cause of death code derived from the medical certificate according to the standards defined by ICD (latest version as appropriate)
Note: This target was not monitored as part of the Midterm Questionnaire on the Implementation of the Regional Action Framework for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
TARGET
202430%
3.D
By 2024, the proportion of deaths coded to ill-defined codes will have been reduced by 30 per cent compared with the baseline year.
baseline
201543.8%
MIDTERM
201828%
TARGET
202430%
3.E
By 2024, at least 10 per cent of deaths taking place outside of a health facility and without the attention of a medical practitioner have their underlying cause of death code determined through verbal autopsy in line with international standards.
Note: In light of recent countries’ experiences, Verbal autopsy is not encouraged to be applied to a large population scale, but rather on a representative sample. To reflect this, Target 3E is not anymore monitored by the coverage percentage of Verbal autopsy, but by the use or not of Verbal autopsy and its different applications.
MIDTERM
No
TARGET
2024Yes
3.F
By 2024, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on births and deaths using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within one calendar year.
TARGET
2024
3.G
By 2023, key summary tabulations of vital statistics on causes of death using registration records as the primary source, are made available in the public domain in electronic format annually, and within two calendar years.
TARGET
2023
3.H
By 2023, an accurate, complete and timely vital statistics report for the previous two years, using registration records as the primary source, is made available in the public domain.
TARGET
2023
Cambodia
National Coordination Mechanism
Status in Cambodia: Complete
Comprehensive Assessment
Status in Cambodia: Complete
National Targets for 2024
Status in Cambodia: Complete
Monitoring & Reporting Plan
Status in Cambodia: Plans
Inequality Assessment
Status in Cambodia: Not started
National Strategy
Status in Cambodia: Complete
National Focal Point
Status in Cambodia: Complete
Reporting to ESCAP - Baseline
Status in Cambodia: Complete
Reporting to ESCAP - Midterm
Status in Cambodia: Complete
Cambodia Events
09 December 2015 - 10 December 2015
The workshop for National CRVS Focal Points is aimed at strengthening capacities for setting national targets and collecting, compiling and…
18 October 2017 - 20 October 2017
The Regional Steering Group provides guidance for the implementation of the Regional Action Framework on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in…
13 November 2017 - 17 November 2017
UN Statistics Division is organising a workshop on the Operation of Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management Systems in East…
17 September 2019 - 19 September 2019
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight October 2019)
The Regional Steering Group is responsible for providing regional oversight and guidance for the…
13 November 2018 - 15 November 2018
The Regional Steering Group is responsible for providing regional oversight and guidance for the implementation of the Regional Action…
07 February 2023 - 09 February 2023
An initial meeting of the SEA registrars will be organized with support of the Philippines Statistics Authority on 7-9 February 2023 in Manila and…
Cambodia News
29 October 2024
In collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) of Cambodia, Vital Strategies and ESCAP organised a three-day hands-on training…
30 July 2024
Cambodia's Ministry of Health launches new “Digital Health Database for Birth and Mortality Records”
Cambodia has held a workshop on the implementation of the nation’s new digital Notification and Cause of Death system. The workshop, organised by the…
27 March 2024
Asia-Pacific Stats Café Series: CRVS Business Process Improvement: Success Stories from Asia-Pacific
ESCAP and United Nations Legal Identity Agenda (UNLIA) are hosting the Asia-Pacific Stats Café Series on "CRVS Business Process Improvement: Success…
31 December 2023
Following the passing of the fundamental Law on Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identification (CRVSID) on 1st July 2023, the…
31 December 2023
The UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam organized the Southeast…
20 October 2023
(Newsletter October 2023)
Last August, Cambodia established a Technical Working Group comprising of the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) and…
28 June 2023
(Newsletter June 2023)
The Council of Ministers of Cambodia approved a draft law on civil registry documents, statistics, and identification on May…
17 May 2023
(Newsletter May 2023)
The ninth meeting of the Regional Steering Group (RSG) for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in Asia and the…
05 April 2023
(Newsletter April 2023)
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) is undertaking legal reviews to support the development of more effective CRVS…
09 August 2022
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight August 2022)
Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior held a National Consultation Workshop on the Draft Law on Civil Registration…
03 January 2022
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight January 2022)
In November, Minister of Interior Samdech Kralahom Sar Kheng met with the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Ms.…
20 October 2021
(Newsletter: CRVS Insight October 2022)
The preparations for the Second Ministerial Conference on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific are nearly complete…
27 March 2019
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), with support from the Bloomberg Data for Health…
07 January 2019
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), with support from the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative (…
11 October 2017
Expert Talks: Understanding civil registration and vital statistics systems is a series of 22 short interviews with CRVS experts from around the…
11 September 2017
Cambodia has completed a national baseline survey on the status of CRVS. The survey provides key benchmark data to monitor the country's progress…
03 April 2017
Do you want to know how many countries in Asia and the Pacific have a CRVS coordination mechanism? Are you interested in how ambitious the national…
29 April 2016
Here you can find recent news, events and blogs relevant for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
Subscribe for more ! To receive regular…
Cambodia Resources
Presentations, 2023
Cambodia country presentation at the Meeting of Civil Registrars in South-East Asia, Manila, Philippines, 7-9 February 2023. It was presented…
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2020
Meeting Documents, 2024
This resource provides a full list of members for the Regional Steering Group for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific. The list includes members for the…
International Standards and Recommendations, Meeting Documents, Presentations, 2017
UN Statistics Division organized a workshop on the Operation of Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management Systems in East…
Newsletters, 2017
Articles
Workshop on ensuring the recognition of the legal identity of all women and children in ASEAN
Ten new countries join the Global…
Advocacy Materials, 2017
Provides a brief overview of the current status of CRVS in Cambodia, including:
Regional Action Framework targets
Regional Action Framework…
Newsletters, 2017
Articles
Third meeting of the Regional Steering Group for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific
New video series on CRVS systems
High-level panelists…
Presentations, 2017
Cambodia’s country presentation made at the Technical Seminar on Legal Framework for Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management…
Advocacy Materials, 2017
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics play a key role in facilitating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. A well-functioning CRVS…
Newsletters, 2017
Articles
Enroll in the facilitated CRVS eLearning course today
Cambodia completes survey to establish national baselines on CRVS
The Regional…
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2017
The Royal Decree issued by the government of Cambodia formally establishing the National Steering Committee for Civil Registration, Vital Statistics…
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2017
This survey provides key baseline data on the status of CRVS in Cambodia. This data will be used as a benchmark to monitor Cambodia’s progress…
Report, 2015
The purpose of this report is to review the available data, both quantitative and qualitative, on the type and magnitude of gender-related under-…
Advocacy Materials, 2014
An effective Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system helps secure a person’s legal identity, tracks the major events of an individual’s…
Advocacy Materials, Country Assessments and Strategies, 2017
Do you want to know how many countries in Asia and the Pacific have a CRVS coordination mechanism? Are you interested in how ambitious the national…
Newsletters, 2017
Articles
New report highlights ways to improve birth registration in Indonesia
Cambodia develops a national strategic plan of identification…
Country Assessments and Strategies, Presentations, 2015
Cambodia's country presentation made at the 1st Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Meeting, Bangkok, 28-30…
Country Assessments and Strategies, Report, 2016
The National Strategic Plan aims to achieve a long-term vision for Cambodia — that every person has a legal identity. This will require…
Journals, Articles and Working Papers, 2007
This publication presents the findings of an Asian Dvelopment Bank multi-country study on legal identity. Based on extensive field research conducted…
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2014
This comprehensive assessment reviewed the main aspects of Cambodia's Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system using the WHO guidance…
Meeting Documents, UN Official Documents, 2016
The seventy-first session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific adopted resolution 71/14 on the Asian and Pacific Civil…
International Standards and Recommendations, UN Official Documents, 2014
Through Commission resolution 69/15, countries in Asia and the Pacific requested that further regional action be taken to support the improvement of…
Meeting Documents, 2010
This publication serves as a report of an Expert Roundtable that was held in Bangkok on the 28th and 29th of October 2010 to discuss initiatives in…
Country Statements, 2014
Country statement delivered during the Ministerial Conference under agenda item 4 - Implementation of the Regional Action Framework on CRVS in Asia…
Country Statements, 2014
Cambodia issued this statement in the Ministerial Conference agenda item 6 regarding the State of civil registration and vital statistics in Asia and…
Meeting Documents, 2014
Advocacy Materials, Meeting Documents, 2014
The Ministerial Declaration to "Get every one in the picture' in Asia and the Pacific was made at the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration…
Meeting Documents, Report, UN Official Documents, 2014
The Report of the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific gives an overview of the main outcomes of…
Events
News
Resources
Presentations, 2023
Country Assessments and Strategies, 2020
Meeting Documents, 2024