Displacement Governance Mapping

Mapping record

Cambodia Land Law and Economic Land Concession Architecture

Cambodia · Housing, land and resettlement · Development-induced displacement · Law or regulation

Cambodia's 2001 Land Law establishes the legal framework for land ownership, possession, state land, concessions, and related land administration, operating alongside Sub-Decree 146 on Economic Land Concessions and the Law on Investment (as amended in 2021). It is central to understanding development-induced displacement, land conflict, economic concessions, and tenure security. A draft new land law intended to replace the 2001 Land Law has been under development since at least 2023 but had not been enacted as of mid-2026.

Why it matters: Cambodia is a key case for development-induced displacement in Southeast Asia. The political economy archetype is land formalization under investment pressure: formal law can protect some claims while making unregistered or politically weak communities vulnerable. The multi-year stall on the draft replacement law is itself informative: land law reform in Cambodia moves slowly relative to the pace of concession-driven displacement, leaving the 2001 framework as the operative regime well after its limitations were identified.