Demographics of Myanmar


The following is an overview of the demographics of Myanmar, including statistics such as population, ethnicity, language, education level and religious affiliation.

Population

1983 census

At the time of the 1983 census in Burma, as of 31 March 1983, the population was 35,442,972., this was estimated by the CIA World Factbook to have increased to 60,584,650. Other estimates put place the total population at around 60 million. China's People'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. with exception for Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Most of these estimates have indeed overlooked the demographic changes that were at work since the 1970s in the country.
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 to AIDS. This can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth 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.

2014 census

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. This total population includes 50,213,067 persons counted during the census and an estimated 1,206,353 persons in parts of northern Rakhine State, Kachin State and Kayin State who were not counted. More females were counted than males. 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.

Vital statistics

Burma has a low fertility rate, slightly above replacement level, especially as compared to other Southeast Asian countries of similar economic standing, like Cambodia and Laos, representing a significant decline from 4.7 in 1983 to 2.4 in 2001, despite the absence of any national population policy.
The fertility rate is much pronouncedly lower in urban areas. This is attributed to extreme delays in marriage, the prevalence of illegal abortions, and the high proportion of single, unmarried women of reproductive age.
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 second is the social acceptability of celibacy among the Burmese, who are predominantly Buddhist and value celibacy as a means of spiritual development.

Births and deaths http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm [World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision]

Births and deaths
YearPopulationLive birthsDeathsNatural increaseCrude birth rateCrude death rateRate of natural increaseTFR
2009948,106325,343622,7632.040
2010965,937346,205619,7322.030
20111,007,039342,420664,6192.010
2012856,279250,874605,4052.010
2013835,595257,216578,379
201451,419,000836,961278,533558,428
2016765,844213,187552,657
2017787,172231,210555,962

Fertility and births

Total Fertility Rate and Crude Birth Rate :
YearCBR TFR CBR TFR CBR TFR
2015–2016182.3 161.9 18.82.4

Crude Birth Rate, Total Fertility Rate, and Total Marital Fertility Rate by region :
RegionCrude Birth Rate Total Fertility Rate Total Marital Fertility Rate
Total 18.82.34.0
Urban15.81.83.6
Rural20.12.54.2
Kachin22.02.85.1
Kayah26.13.35.7
Kayin23.83.45.4
Chin29.94.46.9
Sagaing19.42.34.4
Tanintharyi21.93.05.0
Bago17.62.23.6
Magway17.62.13.8
Mandalay16.91.93.7
Mon18.12.44.2
Rakhine18.02.23.5
Yangon15.51.73.3
Shan21.22.74.3
Ayeyawady20.22.64.1
Naypyitaw18.72.13.4

Structure of the population

Structure of the population :
Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total30 139 44730 836 54660 975 993100
0-42 892 3462 843 8045 736 1509.41
5-93 019 5382 933 7515 953 0549.76
10-143 061 7252 939 7516 001 4769.84
15-192 939 1762 830 8305 770 0069.46
20-242 804 0282 729 4665 533 4949.07
25-292 608 6522 578 1755 186 8278.51
30-342 378 3952 414 2214 792 6167.86
35-392 134 8202 212 3154 347 1357.13
40-441 868 7091 984 9073 853 6166.32
45-491 604 9101 737 5703 342 4805.48
50-541 325 5841 459 9782 785 5624.57
55-591 081 4791 213 5292 295 0083.76
60-64838 871962 7281 801 5992.95
65-69647 286766 0661 413 3522.32
70-74477 948593 6661 071 6141.76
75-79335 405449 974785 3791.29
80+120 575186 050306 6250.50

Structure of the population Population - 51 486 253, enumerated - 50 279 900 :
Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total24 228 71426 051 18650 279 900100
0-42 262 7832 209 3474 472 1308.89
5-92 438 3722 380 7054 819 0779.58
10-142 595 7592 512 6135 108 36210.16
15-192 290 9982 334 9914 625 9899.20
20-242 091 5252 239 5444 331 0698.61
25-291 995 4652 150 6694 146 1348.25
30-341 884 5492 014 3123 898 8617.75
35-391 705 6301 857 8503 563 4807.09
40-441 548 9421 734 1313 283 0736.53
45-491 375 0411 571 1072 946 1485.86
50-541 182 3411 376 8912 559 2325.09
55-59935 9791 115 9582 051 9374.08
60-64712 040864 8051 576 8453.14
65-69466 618597 8751 064 4932.12
70-74301 679411 491713 1701.42
75-79228 315324 983553 2981.10
80-84130 875204 701335 5760.67
85-8956 979101 090158 0690.31
90+24 83448 12372 9570.15

Life expectancy

Source: UN World Population Prospects

Ethnic groups

Government classifications

The Burmese government identifies eight major national ethnic races, which include the Bamar, Shan, Kayin, Rakhine, Mon, Kayah, and Kachin. However, the government classification system is flawed, because it groups ethnic groups by geography, rather than by linguistic or genetic similarity.
Unrecognised ethnic groups include Burmese Han-Chinese and Burmese 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 the Anglo-Burmese and Anglo-Indian communities, as well as the Lisu, Rawang, Naga, Padaung, Moken, and many minorities across Shan State.

Language

The official language and primary medium of instruction of Burma is Burmese. Multiple languages are spoken in Burma, and include Shan, Karen, Kachin, Chin, Mon, and Rakhine. English is also spoken, particularly by the educated urban elite, and is the secondary language learnt in government schools. Recent years, the education of Chinese language has been recovered, after long-term limitation from the government of Myanmar.

Religious affiliation

Religious
group		Population
% 1973		Population
% 1983		Population
% 2014
Buddhism88.8%89.4%87.9%
Christianity4.6%4.9%6.2%
Islam3.9%3.9%4.3%
Hinduism0.4%0.5%0.5%
Tribal religions2.2%1.2%0.8%
Other religions0.1%0.1%0.2%
Not religiousn/an/a0.1%

Faith%
Total Buddhism89%
Theravada Buddhism89%
Mahayana Buddhism<1%
Total Christianity4%
Baptist3%
Roman Catholicism1%
Total Islam4%
Sunni Islam2.65%
Shia Islam1.35%
Total other religions<1%
Animism1%
Other 2%

''CIA World Factbook'' demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Age structure

0.91%

Urbanisation

0.8% of GDP