Economy2020-01-01
The riel is Cambodia’s official currency
Cambodia’s official currency is the riel (KHR), issued by the National Bank of Cambodia; the US dollar also circulates widely alongside it.
The riel (KHR) has been Cambodia’s official currency since it was re-established on 20 March 1980, issued by the National Bank of Cambodia, after the currency was abolished during the Khmer Rouge period. Decades of inflation and a UN-era influx of foreign-aid dollars in the 1980s–90s left the US dollar widely used alongside it — today the riel dominates in the provinces while cities and tourist areas rely heavily on dollars, at an unofficial rate near 4,100 riel per dollar. In 2020, Cambodia introduced measures to reduce small-dollar-bill circulation and encourage greater riel use.