Average Zoo Keeper Salary in Cambodia for 2026
A zoo keeper in Cambodia earns about 29,761,800 KHR a year. That's 25% below the national average of 39,718,900 KHR.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Cambodia sit around 13,679,300 KHR a year, while the very top stretches to 47,280,300 KHR. Everything on this page is in Cambodian riel (KHR, symbol ៛), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Cambodia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a zoo keeper make in Cambodia?
A typical zoo keeper working in Cambodia brings home around 2,480,150 KHR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 13,679,300 KHR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 47,280,300 KHR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior zoo keeper working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How zoo keeper pay ranges in Cambodia
A good way to think about salary in Cambodia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all zoo keepers in Cambodia earn less than 32,161,000 KHR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 20,639,100 KHR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 42,959,900 KHR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of zoo keepers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 13,679,300 KHR. The highest stretch to 47,280,300 KHR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Zoo keeper pay by experience in Cambodia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a zoo keeper in Cambodia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical zoo keeper salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years15,599,800 KHR
- 2-5 Years+33% from previous20,760,500 KHR
- 5-10 Years+48% from previous30,721,900 KHR
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous37,441,100 KHR
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous40,799,600 KHR
- 20+ Years+8% from previous44,161,600 KHR
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 48%. That is the point at which a zoo keeper typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Zoo keeper pay by education in Cambodia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving zoo keeper pay in Cambodia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average zoo keeper salary in Cambodia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School17,758,500 KHR
- Certificate or Diploma+57% from previous27,841,200 KHR
- Bachelor's Degree+68% from previous46,680,900 KHR
Zoo keeper gender pay gap in Cambodia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Cambodia is no exception. Male zoo keepers in Cambodia earn an average of 32,038,500 KHR a year, while female zoo keepers earn around 27,479,000 KHR. That works out to a 17% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Zoo Keeper gender pay gap
14%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Cambodia.
Pay raises for a zoo keeper in Cambodia
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Cambodia sees a raise of about 7% every 29 months, which works out to roughly 3% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Cambodia, the national average raise is around 5% every 28 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Cambodia:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Zoo keeper bonus rates in Cambodia
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
16% of zoo keepers in Cambodia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a zoo keeper a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 84% of zoo keepers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Cambodia
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Zoo keeper: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Cambodia is about 25% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
20%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Cambodia on average.
Zoo keeper salary by city in Cambodia
Zoo keeper pay is not even across Cambodia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Phnom Penh
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phnom Penh | City | 34,441,600 KHR | 33,001,000 KHR | 17,879,000-52,681,700 KHR |
Zoo Keeper in Cambodia: FAQs
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How much does a zoo keeper make per month in Cambodia?
A zoo keeper in Cambodia earns about 2,480,150 KHR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 29,761,800 KHR.
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What's the salary range for a zoo keeper in Cambodia?
Entry-level zoo keepers in Cambodia start near 13,679,300 KHR. Top-end pay reaches around 47,280,300 KHR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 20,639,100 and 42,959,900 KHR.
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Is the median zoo keeper salary in Cambodia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 32,161,000 KHR, higher than the average of 29,761,800 KHR. Half of zoo keepers in Cambodia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for zoo keepers in Cambodia?
Men working as a zoo keeper in Cambodia earn around 17% more than women on average (32,038,500 vs 27,479,000 KHR a year).
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Do zoo keepers in Cambodia get bonuses?
About 16% of zoo keepers in Cambodia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do zoo keepers earn more in the public or private sector in Cambodia?
In Cambodia, the public sector pays a zoo keeper about 25% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do zoo keepers in Cambodia get a pay raise?
A zoo keeper in Cambodia sees a raise of around 7% every 29 months, equivalent to roughly 3% a year.