Given the virtual absence of formal channels for care and support of the older population, older Cambodians are dependent largely on their families, and particularly their adult children, for any assistance needed. Table 7 indicates the number of living children of the current generation of elderly Cambodians. Although many elderly Cambodians lost children during the tumultuous history of the last several decades, sustained high fertility has resulted in substantial numbers of children who still survive. Among the 5% who have neither a biological child of their own nor a step child through their spouse, almost a third have.
