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Demographics ofMyanmar
Population pyramid of Myanmar in 2020
Population	57,526,449 (2022 est.)
Growth rate	0.78% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	16.34 births/1,000 population
Death rate	8.75 deaths/1,000 population
Life expectancy	69.92 years
• male	68.27 years
• female	71.67 years
Fertility rate	2.02 children
Infant mortality rate	32.94 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	-1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Age structure
0–14 years	26.93%
15–64 years	66.49%
65 and over	6.58%
Sex ratio
Total	0.97 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth	1.06 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Burmese
Major ethnic	Burman (Bamar) (68%)

This is ademography ofMyanmar (also known asBurma) including statistics such as population,ethnicity,language, education level, andreligious affiliations.

At the time of the 1983 census in Burma, as of 31 March 1983, the population was 35,442,972. As of July 2012^[update], this was estimated by theCIA World Factbook to have increased to60,584,650. Other estimates put place the total population at around 60 million. China'sPeople's Daily reported that Burma had a census in 2007, and at the end of 2009 has 59.2 million people, and growing at 2% annually.^[1] with exception forCyclone Nargis in 2008. Most of these estimates have indeed overlooked the demographic changes that were at work since the 1970s in the country.^[2][3][4]

Britain-based human rights agencies place the population as high as 70 million. Estimates for the country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due toAIDS. This can result in lowerlife expectancy, higherinfant mortality anddeath rates, lower population andgrowth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected.

No trustworthy census has occurred since the 1930s. In the 1940s, the detailed census results were destroyed during the Japanese invasion of 1942. Census results after that time have been flawed by civil wars and a series of military governments. The census in 1983 occurred at a time when parts of the country were controlled by insurgent groups and inaccessible to the government.

The Provisional results of the 2014 census show that the total population of Myanmar is 51,419,420—a population well below the official estimates of more than 60 million.^[3][4] This total population includes 50,213,067 persons counted during the census and an estimated 1,206,353 persons in parts of northernRakhine State,Kachin State andKayin State who were not counted. More females (51.8%) were counted than males (48.2%). People who were out of the country at the time of the census are not included in these figures.

The provisional census results indicated that there were 10,889,348 households in Myanmar. On average, 4.4 people lived in each household in the country. The average household size was highest in Kachin State and Chin State at 5.1. The lowest household sizes were observed in Ayeyawady Region,Bago Region,Magway Region and Naypyidaw Union Territory, each at 4.1.^[5]

Burma has a low fertility rate (2.23 in 2011), slightly abovereplacement level, especially as compared to other Southeast Asian countries of similar economic standing, likeCambodia (3.18) andLaos (4.41), representing a significant decline from 4.7 in 1983 to 2.4 in 2001, despite the absence of any national population policy.^{[2][4][9][10]}

The fertility rate is much pronouncedly lower in urban areas. This is attributed to extreme delays in marriage (almost unparalleled in the region, with the exception of developed countries), the prevalence of illegalabortions, and the high proportion of single, unmarried women of reproductive age (with 25.9% of women aged 30–34 and 33.1% of men and women aged 25–34 single).^[10][11]

These patterns stem from several cultural and economic dynamics. The first is economic hardship, which results in the delay of marriage and family-building (the average age of marriage in Burma is 27.5 for men, 26.4 for women).^[10][11] The second is the social acceptability ofcelibacy among the Burmese, who are predominantly Buddhist and value celibacy as a means of spiritual development.^[9][12]

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):^[16]

Crude Birth Rate (CBR),Total Fertility Rate (TFR), and Total Marital Fertility Rate (TMFR) by region (2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census):^[17]

Source:UN World Population Prospects^[18]

The Burmese government identifies eight major national ethnic groups (which comprise 135 "distinct" ethnic groups), which include theBamar (68%),Shan (10%),Karen (7%),Rakhine (4%),Mon (3%),Kayah (1.5%), andKachin (1.3%). However, the government classification system is flawed, because it groups ethnic groups by geography, rather than by linguistic or genetic similarity (e.g. theKokang are under theShan ethnicity, although they are aHan Chinese sub-group).

Unrecognised ethnic groups includeBurmese Han-Chinese andBurmese Indians, who form 3% and 2% of the population respectively. The remaining 5% of the population belong to small ethnic groups such as the remnants of theAnglo-Burmese andAnglo-Indian communities, as well as theLisu,Rawang,Naga,Padaung,Burmese Gurkha,Moken, and many minorities across Shan State.

The official language and primary medium of instruction of Burma isBurmese (65%). Multiple languages are spoken in Burma, that includesShan (7.4%),Karen (6.2%), Hindi or Urdu (4.3%), Tamil (3%), Kachin (2.1%), Chinese (2%) Chin (1.6%), Bengali (1.3%),Mon (1.8%), and Rakhine (2%), Nepali (1%). Additionally English is spoken as a second language, particularly by the educated urban elite, and is the secondary language learnt in government schools. In recent years, instruction of the Chinese language has been recovered, after long-term limitations from the government of Myanmar.

Below are statistics regarding the Buddhist monastic community in Myanmar, compiled by theState Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee.^[20]

• Population Projections for Myanmar, 1983-2013Asia Pacific Population Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2 (PDF document)
•  This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook.CIA.

• Demographics of Myanmar

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