PHNOM PENH — The Ministry of Planning and the Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Alliance (CIPA) in 2024 have updated the population data on the indigenous groups in the country with the use numerous official records. 

The results showed that the Bunong are the largest indigenous minority with a total of 36,585 people while the Mon are now only 27 and the Kachak 16 persons as the ministry and CIPA mentioned in the 2024 National Report on the Demographic and Socio-Economic Situation of Indigenous Peoples in Cambodia.

The largest communities after the Bunong are the Tompoun with a population of 36,363; the Jarai with 26,922 people; the Kreung with 21,453 people; the Kui with 16,762 people; and the Prao with 10,086 people.

Then, the Kavet community consisted of 7,569 people, the Kroal 5,630 people, and the Stieng 4,980 people.

Among the smaller communities, the Thmorn community consisted of 1,164 people; the Lun 1,033 people; the Mil 984 people; the Pearic, or Por, 944 people; the Suoy 774 people; the Kling 413 people; the Kachrok 266 people; the Saouch 209 people; the Raadear 179; and the Khaonh 109 people.

As of 2019, the total population of the 22 indigenous groups in Cambodia was 172,980, which represented a drop of a 3.5 percent compared to the data in the 2008 Indigenous Population Report.

The province with the largest population of the indigenous groups is Ratanakiri with 94,204 people who are Tompoun, Jarai, Kavet, Kreung and Tompoun, representing 84.46 percent of the total indigenous population in the country.

Mondulkiri province is home to 31,128 indigenous people (Bunong and Kroal); Kratie province to 18,067 people (Bunong, Kui, Kroal and Stieng); Preah Vihear province to 9,286 Kui people; Steung Treng province to 6,010 Kavet people; and Kampong Thom province to 4,043 Kui people.

From 2008 to 2019, major indigenous groups, such as the Tompoun, the Prao, the Kreung and the Jarai, increased by 17.3 percent, 11.8 percent, 7.3 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.

The Lun, Thmorn, and Kroal saw an increase in their population that went from 500 to more than 10,000 people with the Lun population going up 215.9 percent, the Thmorn 34.6 percent and the Kroal 34 percent.

However, some major groups, such as the Kui and the Bunong, saw drops in their population of 41.4 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.

The Stieng population decreased by 25 percent, the Mil by 42 percent, the Por by 48.3 percent, and the Suoy population by 9.6 percent.

Then, the Raadear minority went from 21 people in 2008 to 179 people in 2019, the Mon from 19 to 27 people, and the Kachak from 10 to 16 people during the same period.