Cambodia operates within a framework where Theravada Buddhism provides the rhythm for approximately 97 percent of the population. The 2019 census conducted by the National Institute of Statistics recorded 14.7 million people identifying as Buddhist from a total population of 15.3 million. This proportion has remained stable since the religion's reintroduction after 1979, when the Khmer Rouge regime ended and temple reconstruction began. Theravada Buddhism arrived in Cambodia during the 13th and 14th centuries, gradually replacing the Hindu and Mahaanistic traditions that dominated during the Angkor period. King Jayavarman VII, who ruled from 1181 to 1218, was the last major Mahayana Buddhist monarch before the Theravada school became dominant. The Supreme Patriarch of the Mohanikay order and the Supreme Patriarch of the Thammayut order together lead the Buddhist hierarchy from Phnom Penh, with approximately 4,400 active pagodas operating across the country as of 2020 according to the Ministry of Cults and Religion.
The physical rhythm of Buddhist practice structures Cambodian daily life through temple attendance that peaks at dawn and dusk. Monks perform chanting ceremonies at pagodas beginning between 4:30 and 5:00 in the morning, with laypeople arriving to present food offerings before starting work. The pindapata tradition of morning alms-giving occurs daily in residential neighborhoods, where monks walk in single file accepting prepared food from households. Women perform this offering more frequently than men, a pattern documented in the 2014 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey which found that 68 percent of women versus 41 percent of men visit pagodas at least monthly. Pagodas function as community centers beyond religious purposes, hosting public meetings, providing temporary shelter during floods, and serving as the primary education sites before French colonization established secular schools. The Silver Pagoda within the Royal Palace complex in Phnom Penh contains a floor of 5,329 silver tiles weighing 1,125 kilograms each, installed between 1962 and 1969, demonstrating the material investment Buddhism commands even in government buildings.
Ordination as a monk represents a temporary but culturally essential passage for Cambodian men, typically occurring between ages 15 and 25. The 2019 census counted 69,311 active monks, with this number fluctuating seasonally because many men ordain for a single three-month rainy season retreat then return to secular life. This practice, called Vassa or Buddhist Lent, runs from the full moon of July to the full moon of October according to the lunar calendar. During this period, monks remain within their pagoda compounds except for morning alms rounds, and laypeople increase temple visits and observe additional precepts. Men who have never ordained carry mild social disadvantage in marriage prospects, particularly in rural provinces, though this expectation has weakened in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap where only 23 percent of men born after 1990 have ordained according to a 2018 study by the Buddhist Institute of Cambodia. Monks follow 227 precepts from the Pali Canon, while nuns, who occupy a less formalized position, follow eight or ten precepts. Cambodia had approximately 3,200 nuns as of 2020, housed in separate quarters within pagoda complexes or in dedicated nunneries.
Islam constitutes the second religious community at roughly 2 percent of the population, concentrated among ethnic Cham people. The 2019 census recorded 308,000 Muslims, down from an estimated 500,000 before 1975 when the Khmer Rouge killed between 90,000 and 200,000 Cham Muslims according to documentation compiled by the Documentation Center of Cambodia. The community practices Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i school, with mosques called "masjid" in Khmer following the Arabic term. Cham communities maintain concentrated populations along the Mekong River in Kampong Cham Province and around Tonle Sap Lake in villages where fishing provides primary income. These villages operate Islamic schools called "madrasah" teaching Quranic Arabic alongside Khmer language. Friday prayers attract community-wide attendance, and Ramadan observance remains strict with participation rates above 85 percent according to a 2016 survey by the International Republican Institute. The Cambodian Islamic Community under Oknha Kamaruddin Yusof coordinates religious affairs and maintains relations with the Ministry of Cults and Religion, which provides some funding for mosque construction and imam salaries.
Christianity accounts for less than 1 percent of Cambodians, divided between Catholic and Protestant denominations. The Catholic Church reports approximately 20,000 members served by the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh and the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, both established during French colonial rule in the late 19th century. The current Vicar Apostolic, Olivier Schmitthaeusler, was appointed in 2010 and oversees 23 parishes. Protestant Christianity, introduced by missionaries after 1990, has grown faster with estimates ranging from 60,000 to 100,000 adherents across multiple denominations including Methodist, Baptist, and independent evangelical groups. The Kampuchea Christian Council formed in 2005 coordinates relations between Protestant churches and government authorities. Christian churches concentrate in Phnom Penh where economic development has been fastest, with smaller congregations in provincial capitals. Both Catholic and Protestant communities operate schools and medical clinics that serve broader populations beyond their membership, providing services that supplement government infrastructure.
Traditional animist practices persist underneath the Buddhist framework, particularly in rural areas and among Khmer Loeu highland groups. The concept of neak ta refers to territorial spirits inhabiting specific locations such as old trees, rock formations, or waterways. Villages maintain spirit houses for these neak ta, presenting offerings of incense, flowers, and food during planting and harvest seasons. A kru khmer, a traditional healer combining spiritual and herbal knowledge, operates in most villages providing services when Buddhist monks or medical clinics cannot address specific problems. These healers treat illnesses attributed to spiritual imbalance, perform blessing ceremonies for new houses or businesses, and conduct exorcisms. The Royal Ploughing Ceremony held annually in Phnom Penh in May demonstrates how animist elements merge with Buddhism and monarchy. During this ceremony, sacred oxen select from offerings of rice, corn, beans, sesame, alcohol, water, and grass, with their choices interpreted as predictions for the coming agricultural year. King Norodom Sihamoni or a designated royal representative presides over the ceremony attended by government ministers, foreign diplomats, and thousands of farmers.
Daily life follows a lunar calendar that determines religious observances alongside the Gregorian calendar used for government and business. The traditional Khmer calendar marks holy days called thngai sel based on moon phases, occurring four times monthly on new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. Observant Buddhists visit pagodas on these days, with full moon days attracting largest attendance. Shops and markets in provincial towns may close early or entirely on major holy days, while Phnom Penh businesses maintain regular hours except during the three-day Khmer New Year and three-day Water Festival. The work week runs Monday through Friday for government offices and Saturday morning for banks, with most businesses operating six or seven days. Construction sites and factories operate on different schedules, often including Sunday work with compensation. Rice farming, which employs 45 percent of the labor force according to 2020 World Bank data, follows the monsoon cycle with planting in May and June, transplanting in July and August, and harvest from November through January. This agricultural calendar shapes economic activity even in Phnom Penh, where seasonal labor migration brings an estimated 200,000 additional workers to the capital outside of planting and harvest periods.