Bicycles aren't usually what comes to mind when people think about what Cambodia exports.
Garments, footwear, and tourism tend to dominate that picture. But over the past decade, Cambodia has quietly built itself into one of the European Union's top bicycle suppliers. At one point outselling even Taiwan and China in the EU market.
Eurostat data shows Cambodia held the top spot from 2017 onward, before losing it to Taiwan again in 2023.
How Trade Policy Opened the Door
Two EU trade policies, working together, explain how Cambodia rose to this position.
First, Cambodia qualified for the European Commission's Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative, which grants least developed countries duty free and quota free access to the EU for nearly all products.
Bicycles were among the goods that benefited from this arrangement. Notably, when the EU partially withdrew Cambodia's EBA privileges in 2020 over human rights concerns, bicycles were not among the product categories affected, so Cambodian made bicycles have continued to enter the EU duty free.
Second, the European Commission has maintained anti dumping duties on bicycles imported from China since 1993. As Chinese production costs rose and these duties remained in place, several bicycle manufacturers many backed by investors from Taiwan, China, and Japan shifted assembly operations into Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, to keep supplying European markets duty free.
A Manufacturing Base Built for Export
According to the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), most bicycle factories in the country are foreign owned, and the overwhelming majority of their output is exported rather than sold domestically.
Production is concentrated in special economic zones around Bavet City in Svay Rieng province, near the Vietnamese border, and factories produce a wide range of products including city bikes, mountain bikes, children's bicycles, and electric bicycles.
The industry has evolved alongside shifting demand. According to Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce, manufacturers have expanded electric bicycle production in response to growing e-bike demand in Europe, adding higher value products alongside conventional bicycles.
Recent Performance
Cambodia's bicycle export revenue has fluctuated sharply in recent years.
According to the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE), exports rose from $631 million in 2021 to a peak of $900 million in 2022. The following two years saw a steep decline, driven largely by weaker EU demand, exports fell to $489 million in 2023 and $426.89 million in 2024, a nearly 13 percent year-on-year drop.
The industry has since rebounded. GDCE data shows exports climbed back to $609.33 million in 2025, a 42.73 percent increase over 2024, with the United States overtaking the EU as Cambodia's single largest destination, followed by Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The momentum has continued into 2026, with January exports alone reaching $63.57 million.
From Garments to Bicycles
Garments remain Cambodia's largest export sector, but bicycles have become one of the country's most significant manufactured products outside it.
Data from Eurostat, the GDCE, and the CDC show that Cambodia built its position as one of Europe's leading bicycle suppliers through preferential trade access, foreign investment, and export-oriented manufacturing.
Even as the industry has proven sensitive to swings in European consumer demand. Despite recent volatility, bicycles remain among Cambodia's largest non-garment export sectors.
