Burma Demographics

What is the population of Burma?

Population	56,590,071
Population - note	Note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of the population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected.
Population Growth Rate	1.05%
Urban Population	32.6%
Population in Major Urban Areas	RANGOON (capital) 4.457 million; Mandalay 1.063 million; Nay Pyi Taw 1.06 million
Nationality Noun	Burmese (singular and plural)
Nationality Adjective	Burmese
Ethnic Groups	Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%
Languages Spoken	Burmese
Language Note	Burma is a nation of many races - some 135 ethnic groups, with their own languages and dialects, make up its population of nearly 45 million. It is impossible to mention more than a few of the races, for Burma is an anthropologist's paradise. The Burmese people call their own language Bamar or Myanmar and it is the main language spoken throughout the country. About 70 percent of the people of Burma speak one or other of the Burma Group of languages while the percentage of those speaking Burmese is estimated at ninety. Despite the diversity and geographic separation, the national groups share with each other a wide variety of social customs and cultures. The Burmese language vocabulary contains a large number of Pali and Sanskrit words. The earliest Burmese writing was the Myazedi Stone Inscription. which is a four-sided stone inscription constructed in 1113 A.D. during the Pagan Period. The inscription is written in Myanmar, Pyu, Mon, and Pali and was discovered in 1887.

Burma Health Information

What are the health conditions in Burma?

Animal Contact Disease (s)	Rabies
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49	46%
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	8.05
Diseases - note	Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved	81.1%
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved	14.3%
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved	94.8%
Food or Waterborne Disease (s)	Bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP	2%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate	0.6%
HIV/Aids Deaths	11,600
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population	.6
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births	39.31
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births	52.91
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births	46.31
Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk	Very high
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births	200
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	4%
People Living with HIV/AIDS	240,000
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population	.5
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved	22.6%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved	84.3%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved	73.9%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman	2.21
Underweight - percent of children under five years	22.6%
Vectorborne Disease (s)	Dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis
Water contact disease (s)	Leptospirosis

Burma Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Burma?

Life Expectancy at Birth	65 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - female	68 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - male	63 Years
Median Age	27 Years
Median Age - female	28 Years
Median Age - male	27 Years

Burma Infant Mortality - per 1,000 live births

Burma median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population	19
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	8.05
Median Age	27 Years
Median Age - female	28 Years
Median Age - male	27 Years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population	-0.3
Population Growth Rate	1.05%
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female	1.04
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female	1.03
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female	.99
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female	.99
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female	1.06
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female	.99
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female	.77

Burma Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Burma?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

We highly recommend that you share your travel plans with your doctor so that you can best prepare for the endemic health-related challenges that confront travelers in Burma. Most medical facilities in Burma are inadequate for even routine medical care. There are very few medical personnel in Burma who are trained to U.S. standards. You should also know that, in an emergency, you would likely need to be medically evacuated to a hospital outside Burma. Medical evacuation from Burma is expensive and is transacted in cash. We strongly urge all travelers to secure medical evacuation insurance before coming to Burma. Most pharmaceuticals on sale in Burma have been smuggled into the country, and many are counterfeit or adulterated. Travelers should consider Burmese pharmaceuticals generally unsafe to use and should accordingly bring adequate supplies of their medications for the duration of their stay in Burma. All travelers are advised to bring a complete and detailed list of regularly used medicine, and dosages, in case of an emergency. HIV/AIDS is widespread among high-risk populations, such as prostitutes and illegal drug users. Malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases are endemic in many parts of the country.

In early 2006 throughout 2007, and again in early 2010, brief avian influenza outbreaks resulted in the death of domestic poultry and some wild birds. In December 2007, the World Health Organization and Burmese Ministry of Health confirmed Burma’s first case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. If you travel to Burma and other South Asian countries affected by avian influenza, we caution you to avoid poultry farms, contact with animals in live food markets, and any other surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from poultry or other animals. There were no reported human cases of H5N1 in Burma during the 2010 outbreaks.

Burma Education

What is school like in Burma?

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP	0.8%
Literacy - female	86.4%
Literacy - male	89.9%
Literacy - total population	89.9%
Literacy Definition	Age 15 and over can read and write
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)	9 Years

Burma Literacy

Can people in Burma read?

Literacy - female	86.4%
Literacy - male	89.9%
Literacy - total population	89.9%
Literacy Definition	Age 15 and over can read and write
Predominant Language	Burmese

Burma Crime

Is Burma a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

Crime rates in Burma, especially toward foreigners, are lower than those of many other countries in the region. Nevertheless, the crime rate has been increasing. Violent crime against foreigners is rare.

Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, but if you purchase them, you may also be breaking local law.

Burma Penalties for Crime

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Burma, you are subject to its laws, even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own. It is illegal to take pictures of Burmese officials and of certain buildings, such as military installations and government buildings. There are also some things that might be legal in Burma, but still illegal in the United States. You can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States.

While in Burma, you should carry your U.S. passport or a photocopy of passport data and visa pages at all times so that if you are questioned by Burmese officials, you will have proof of your U.S. citizenship readily available. It is important to remember, however, that your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution for violating local laws.

Some foreigners have been denied even minimal rights in criminal proceedings in Burma, especially when suspected of engaging in political activity of any type. This includes, but is not limited to, denial of access to an attorney, denial of access to court records, and denial of family and consular visits. Although the current civilian government has repealed some of the laws that prohibited people from exercising many of the rights that U.S. citizens enjoy in the United States – including the freedoms of assembly and speech – there are still many laws on the books that criminalize things that are not illegal in the United States. For example, Burmese law forbids Burmese citizens from possessing dual nationality.

Under the Burmese Motor Vehicle Act of 1964, driving while intoxicated is punishable by either six months in jail, a 500 kyat (equivalent to USD 50 cents) fine, or both.

Based on the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and customary international law, if you are arrested in Burma, you have the option to request that the police, prison officials, or other authorities alert the U.S. Embassy of your arrest, and to have communications from you forwarded to the U.S. Embassy.

Burma Population Comparison

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