ARCHIVE // MM // 2012
Burma (Myanmar)
2012 Edition — sovereign
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Communications
Broadcast media
[time series]
government controls all domestic broadcast media; 2 state-controlled TV stations with 1 of the stations controlled by the armed forces; 2 pay-TV stations are joint state-private ventures; access to satellite TV is limited; 1 state-controlled domestic radio station and 6 FM stations that are joint state-private ventures; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available in parts of Burma; the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), BBC Burmese service, and the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) use shortwave to send broadcasts into Burma; VOA, RFA, and DVB produce daily TV news programs that are transmitted by satellite to audiences in Burma (2009)
Internet country code
[time series]
.mm
Internet users
(Internet hosts)
[time series]
1,055 (2012) country comparison to the world: 172
Internet users
[time series]
110,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 158
Telecommunication systems
(Telephone system)
[time series]
general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government domestic: system barely capable of providing basic service; mobile-cellular phone system is grossly underdeveloped international: country code - 95; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and ShinSat (2011)
Telephones - fixed lines
(Telephones - main lines in use)
[time series]
521,100 (2011) country comparison to the world: 96
Telephones - mobile cellular
[time series]
1.244 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 151
Economy
Agricultural products
(Agriculture - products)
[time series]
rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; fish and fish products; hardwood
Budget
[time series]
revenues: $2.234 billion expenditures: $4.414 billion (2012 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
[time series]
-4% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Central bank discount rate
[time series]
9.95% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 15 12% (31 December 2009 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate
[time series]
13% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 16.33% (31 December 2011 est.)
Current account balance
[time series]
-$891.2 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 $96.1 million (2011 est.)
Debt - external
[time series]
$5.448 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 111 $5.804 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Economic overview
(Economy - overview)
[time series]
Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, corruption, and rural poverty. Despite Burma's emergence as a natural gas exporter, socio-economic conditions have deteriorated under the mismanagement of the previous regime. Approximately 32% of the population lives in poverty and Burma is the poorest country in Southeast Asia. The business climate is widely perceived as opaque, corrupt, and highly inefficient. Wealth from country's ample natural resources is concentrated in the hands of an elite group of military leaders and business associates. In 2010-11, the transfer of state assets - especially real estate - to military families under the guise of a privatization policy further widened the gap between the economic elite and the public. The economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, fiscal deficits, lack of commercial credit further distorted by a non-market interest rate regime, unpredictable inflation, unreliable economic data, and an inability to reconcile national accounts. Burma's poor investment climate - including weak rule of law - hampers the inflow of foreign investment; in recent years, foreign investors have shied away from nearly every sector except for natural gas, power generation, timber, and mining. The exploitation of natural resources does not benefit the population at large. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries - especially oil and gas, mining, and timber - with the latter two causing significant environmental degradation. Other areas, such as manufacturing, tourism, and services, struggle in the face of poor infrastructure, unpredictable trade policies, undeveloped human resources (the result of neglected health and education systems), endemic corruption, and inadequate access to capital for investment. Private banks still operate under tight domestic and international restrictions, limiting the private sector's access to credit. During the past decade the United States, the European Union, and Canada had imposed financial and economic sanctions on Burma. US sanctions prohibited most financial transactions with Burmese entities, imposed travel bans on senior Burmese military and civilian leaders and others connected to the ruling regime, and banned imports of Burmese products. These sanctions affected the country's fledgling garment industry, isolated the struggling banking sector, and raised the costs of doing business with Burmese companies, particularly firms tied to Burmese regime leaders. Many of these sanctions are being lifted, in response to the new liberalization that is taking place in Burma. Remittances from overseas Burmese workers - who had provided significant financial support for their families - have driven the Ministry of Finance to license domestic banks to carry out overseas operations. In 2011 the government took initial steps toward reforming and opening up the economy by lowering export taxes, easing restrictions on its financial sector, and reaching out to international organizations for assistance. Although the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, significant improvements in economic governance, the business climate, and the political situation are needed to promote serious foreign investment.
Exchange rates
[time series]
kyats (MMK) per US dollar - 867.6 (2012 est.) 815 (2011 est.) 5.58 (2010 est.) 1,055 (2009) 1,205 (2008)
Exports
[time series]
$8.529 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 98 $8.196 billion (2011 est.) note: official export figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of timber, gems, narcotics, rice, and other products smuggled to Thailand, China, and Bangladesh
Exports - commodities
[time series]
natural gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice, clothing, jade and gems
Exports - partners
[time series]
Thailand 36.7%, China 18.8%, India 14.1%, Japan 6.6% (2011)
Fiscal year
[time series]
1 April - 31 March
GDP (official exchange rate)
[time series]
$54.05 billion (2012 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
(GDP (purchasing power parity))
[time series]
$89.23 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 77 $84.02 billion (2011 est.) $79.67 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
(GDP - composition by sector)
[time series]
agriculture: 38.8% industry: 19.3% services: 41.8% (2012 est.)
Real GDP per capita
(GDP - per capita (PPP))
[time series]
$1,400 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 206 $1,300 (2011 est.) $1,300 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars
Real GDP growth rate
(GDP - real growth rate)
[time series]
6.2% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 36 5.5% (2011 est.) 5.3% (2010 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
[time series]
lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
Imports
[time series]
$7.137 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 111 $5.982 billion (2011 est.) note: import figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of consumer goods, diesel fuel, and other products smuggled in from Thailand, China, Malaysia, and India
Imports - commodities
[time series]
fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, transport equipment; cement, construction materials, crude oil; food products, edible oil
Imports - partners
[time series]
China 38.8%, Thailand 22.6%, Singapore 9.7%, South Korea 5.4%, Malaysia 4.5%, Japan 4.1% (2011)
Industrial production growth rate
[time series]
4.3% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
[time series]
3.1% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 82 5% (2011 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
[time series]
16.3% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 131
Labor force
[time series]
33.41 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Labor force - by occupation
[time series]
agriculture: 70% industry: 7% services: 23% (2001 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares
[time series]
$NA
Population below poverty line
[time series]
32.7% (2007 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
[time series]
$4.107 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 97 $3.931 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Stock of broad money
[time series]
$2.178 trillion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 $1.68 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
Stock of domestic credit
[time series]
$15.66 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 89 $11.83 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Stock of narrow money
[time series]
$9.965 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 77 $8.652 billion (31 December 2011 est.) note: this number reflects the vastly overvalued official exchange rate of 5.38 kyat per dollar in 2007; at the unofficial black market rate of 1,305 kyat per dollar for 2007, the stock of kyats would equal only US$2.465 billion and Burma's velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the course of a year) would be six, in line with the velocity of money for other countries in the region; in January-February 2011, the unofficial black market rate averaged 890 kyat per dollar
Taxes and other revenues
[time series]
4.1% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 213
Unemployment rate
[time series]
5.4% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 53 5.5% (2011 est.)
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions
(Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy)
[time series]
12.8 million Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
Crude oil - exports
[time series]
880 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Crude oil - imports
[time series]
0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 161
Crude oil - production
[time series]
20,200 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Crude oil - proved reserves
[time series]
50 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 80
Electricity - consumption
[time series]
3.794 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 122
Electricity - exports
[time series]
0 kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 167
Electricity - from fossil fuels
[time series]
67.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 114
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants
[time series]
32.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Electricity - from nuclear fuels
[time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Electricity - from other renewable sources
[time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 112
Electricity - imports
[time series]
0 kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 164
Electricity - installed generating capacity
[time series]
1.86 million kW (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 103
Electricity - production
[time series]
5.708 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Natural gas - consumption
[time series]
3.29 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Natural gas - exports
[time series]
8.81 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Natural gas - imports
[time series]
0 cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 164
Natural gas - production
[time series]
12.1 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Natural gas - proved reserves
[time series]
283.2 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 41
Refined petroleum products - consumption
[time series]
40,620 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 108
Refined petroleum products - exports
[time series]
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 156
Refined petroleum products - imports
[time series]
12,730 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 127
Refined petroleum products - production
[time series]
16,700 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Geography
Area
[time series]
total: 676,578 sq km country comparison to the world: 40 land: 653,508 sq km water: 23,070 sq km
Area - comparative
[time series]
slightly smaller than Texas
Climate
[time series]
tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)
Coastline
[time series]
1,930 km
Elevation
(Elevation extremes)
[time series]
lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m
Environment - current issues
[time series]
deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease
International environmental agreements
(Environment - international agreements)
[time series]
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Total water withdrawal
(Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural))
[time series]
total: 33.23 cu km/yr (1%/1%/98%) per capita: 658 cu m/yr (2000)
Geographic coordinates
[time series]
22 00 N, 98 00 E
Geography - note
[time series]
strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes
Irrigated land
[time series]
22,500 sq km (2003)
Land boundaries
[time series]
total: 5,876 km border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km
Land use
[time series]
arable land: 14.92% permanent crops: 1.31% other: 83.77% (2005)
Location
[time series]
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand
Map references
[time series]
Southeast Asia
Maritime claims
[time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Natural hazards
[time series]
destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts
Natural resources
[time series]
petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower
Terrain
[time series]
central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Total renewable water resources
[time series]
1,045.6 cu km (1999)
Government
Administrative divisions
[time series]
7 regions (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne) regions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Taninthayi, Yangon states: Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine (Arakan), Shan union territory: Nay Pyi Taw
Capital
[time series]
name: Rangoon (Yangon) geographic coordinates: 16 48 N, 96 09 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Nay Pyi Taw is the administrative capital
Constitution
[time series]
approved by referendum 29 May 2008; reformed by a series of acts in 2011
Country name
[time series]
conventional long form: Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw
Diplomatic representation from the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Derek J. MITCHELL embassy: 110 University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Rangoon mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 536-509, 535-756, 538-038 FAX: [95] (1) 650-306
Diplomatic representation in the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador THAN SWE chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351 consulate(s) general: none; Burma has a Mission to the UN in New York
Executive branch
[time series]
chief of state: President THEIN SEIN (since 4 February 2011); Vice President SAI MOUK KHAM (since 3 February 2011); Vice President NYAN HTUN (since 15 August 2012) head of government: President THEIN SEIN (since 4 February 2011) cabinet: cabinet is appointed by the president and confirmed by the parliament (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: THEIN SEIN elected president by the parliament from among three vice presidents; the upper house, the lower house, and military members of the parliament each nominate one vice president (president serves a five-year term)
Flag
(Flag description)
[time series]
design consists of three equal horizontal stripes of yellow (top), green, and red; centered on the green band is a large white five-pointed star that partially overlaps onto the adjacent colored stripes; the design revives the triband colors used by Burma from 1943-45, during the Japanese occupation
Government type
[time series]
nominally civilian parliamentary government took power in March 2011
Independence
[time series]
4 January 1948 (from the UK)
International law organization participation
[time series]
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation
[time series]
ADB, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), NAM, OPCW (signatory), SAARC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch
[time series]
remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive; the 2011 constitution calls for a Supreme Court, a Courts-Martial, and a Constitutional Tribunal of the Union
Legal system
[time series]
mixed legal system of English common law (as introduced in codifications designed for colonial India) and customary law
Legislative branch
[time series]
bicameral, consists of the House of Nationalities [Amyotha Hluttaw] (224 seats, 168 directly elected and 56 appointed by the military; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives [Pythu Hluttaw] (440 seats, 330 directly elected and 110 appointed by the military; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 7 November 2010 (next to be held in December 2015) election results: House of Nationalities - percent of vote by party - USDP 74.8%, others (NUP, SNDP, RNDP, NDF, AMRDP) 25.2%; seats by party - USDP 129, others 39; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - USDP 79.6%, others (NUP, SNDP, RNDP, NDF, AMRDP) 20.4%; seats by party - USDP 259, others 71
National anthem(s)
(National anthem)
[time series]
name: "Kaba Ma Kyei" (Till the End of the World, Myanmar) lyrics/music: SAYA TIN note: adopted 1948; Burma is among a handful of non-European nations that have anthems rooted in indigenous traditions; the beginning portion of the anthem is a traditional Burmese anthem before transitioning into a Western-style orchestrated work
National holiday
[time series]
Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947)
National symbol(s)
[time series]
chinthe (mythical lion)
Political parties
(Political parties and leaders)
[time series]
All Mon Region Democracy Party or AMRDP [NAING NGWE THEIN]; National Democratic Force or NDF [KHIN MAUNG SWE, Dr.THAN NYEIN]; National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SAN SUU KYI]; National Unity Party or NUP [TUN YE]; Rakhine Nationalities Development Party or RNDP [Dr. AYE MG]; Shan Nationalities Democratic Party [SAI AIKE PAUNG]; Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; Union Solidarity and Development Party or USDP [SHWE MANN, HTAY OO]; numerous smaller parties
Political parties
(Political pressure groups and leaders)
[time series]
Thai border: Ethnic Nationalities Council or ENC; Federation of Trade Unions-Burma or FTUB (exile trade union and labor advocates); National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government in exile); National Council-Union of Burma or NCUB (exile coalition of opposition groups) Inside Burma: Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National Union or KNU; Karenni National People's Party or KNPP; United Wa State Army or UWSA; 88 Generation Students (pro-democracy movement); several other Chin, Karen, Mon, and Shan factions note: freedom of expression has been highly restricted in Burma; the restrictions are being relaxed by the government; political groups, other than parties approved by the government, are limited in number
Suffrage
[time series]
18 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background
[time series]
Various ethnic Burmese and ethnic minority city-states or kingdoms occupied the present borders through the 19th century. Over a period of 62 years (1824-1886), Britain conquered Burma and incorporated the country into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; in 1948, Burma attained independence from the Commonwealth. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. In September 1988, the military deposed NE WIN and established a new ruling junta. Multiparty legislative elections in 1990 resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory. Instead of handing over power, the junta placed NLD leader (and Nobel Peace Prize recipient) AUNG SAN SUU KYI (ASSK) under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, 2000 to 2002, and from May 2003 to November 2010. In late September 2007, the ruling junta brutally suppressed protests over increased fuel prices led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks, killing at least 13 people and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations. In early May 2008, Burma was struck by Cyclone Nargis, which left over 138,000 dead and tens of thousands injured and homeless. Despite this tragedy, the junta proceeded with its May constitutional referendum, the first vote in Burma since 1990. Parliamentary elections held in November 2010, considered flawed by many in the international community, saw the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party garnering over 75% of the seats. Parliament convened in January 2011 and selected former Prime Minister THEIN SEIN as president. Although the vast majority of national-level appointees named by THEIN SEIN are former or current military officers, the government has initiated a series of political and economic reforms leading to a substantial opening of the long-isolated country. These reforms have included a senior-level dialogue with ASSK, re-registering the NLD as a political party, enabling party members, including ASSK, to contest parliamentary by-elections on 1 April 2012, the release of many (but not all) political prisoners, preliminary peace agreements with some armed ethnic groups, a reduction in media censorship, and an increasingly open debate in the Parliament.
Military
Manpower available for military service
[time series]
males age 16-49: 14,747,845 females age 16-49: 14,710,871 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
[time series]
males age 16-49: 10,451,515 females age 16-49: 11,181,537 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
[time series]
male: 522,478 female: 506,388 (2010 est.)
Military and security forces
(Military branches)
[time series]
Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army (Tatmadaw Kyi), Navy (Tatmadaw Yay), Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay) (2011)
Military expenditures
[time series]
2.1% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 67
Military service age and obligation
[time series]
18-35 years of age (men) and 18-27 years of age (women) for compulsory military service; service obligation 2 years; male (ages 18-45) and female (ages 18-35) professionals (including doctors, engineers, mechanics) serve up to 3 years; service terms may be extended to 5 years in an officially declared emergency; forced conscription of children, although officially prohibited, reportedly continues; on 27 June 2012, the regime signed a Joint Action Plan on prevention of child recruitment (2012)
People and Society
Age structure
[time series]
0-14 years: 27.1% (male 7,534,762/ female 7,250,582) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 18,385,523/ female 18,627,115) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 1,213,487/ female 1,573,181) (2012 est.)
Birth rate
[time series]
19.11 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
[time series]
29.6% (2003) country comparison to the world: 19
Death rate
[time series]
8.1 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Education expenditure
(Education expenditures)
[time series]
NA
Ethnic groups
[time series]
Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
0.6% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
HIV/AIDS - deaths
[time series]
18,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 17
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
[time series]
240,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Health expenditure
(Health expenditures)
[time series]
2% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 188
Hospital bed density
[time series]
0.6 beds/1,000 population (2006)
Infant mortality rate
[time series]
total: 47.74 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 46 male: 54.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
Languages
[time series]
Burmese (official) note: minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Life expectancy at birth
[time series]
total population: 65.24 years country comparison to the world: 168 male: 62.91 years female: 67.71 years (2012 est.)
Literacy
[time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.9% male: 93.9% female: 86.4% (2006 est.)
Major urban areas - population
(Major cities - population)
[time series]
RANGOON (capital) 4.259 million; Mandalay 1.009 million; Nay Pyi Taw 992,000 (2009)
Major infectious diseases
[time series]
degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis animal contact disease: rabies 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 (2009)
Maternal mortality ratio
(Maternal mortality rate)
[time series]
200 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 52
Median age
[time series]
total: 27.2 years male: 26.7 years female: 27.8 years (2012 est.)
Nationality
[time series]
noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese
Net migration rate
[time series]
-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 129
Physician density
(Physicians density)
[time series]
0.457 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
Population
[time series]
54,584,650 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 24 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 population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Population growth rate
[time series]
1.07% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 108
Religions
[time series]
Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
Sanitation facility access
[time series]
improved: urban: 86% of population rural: 79% of population total: 81% of population unimproved: urban: 14% of population rural: 21% of population total: 19% of population
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
[time series]
total: 9 years (2007)
Sex ratio
[time series]
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Total fertility rate
[time series]
2.23 children born/woman (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Urbanization
[time series]
urban population: 34% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 2.9% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
[time series]
over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups who have substantial numbers of kin in neighboring countries; the Naf river on the border with Bangladesh serves as a smuggling and illegal transit route; Bangladesh struggles to accommodate 29,000 Rohingya, Burmese Muslim minority from Arakan State, living as refugees in Cox's Bazar; Burmese border authorities are constructing a 200 km (124 mi) wire fence designed to deter illegal cross-border transit and tensions from the military build-up along border with Bangladesh in 2010; Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea; Burmese forces attempting to dig in to the largely autonomous Shan State to rout local militias tied to the drug trade, prompts local residents to periodically flee into neighboring Yunnan Province in China; fencing along the India-Burma international border at Manipur's Moreh town is in progress to check illegal drug trafficking and movement of militants; 140,000 mostly Karen refugees fleeing civil strife, political upheaval and economic stagnation in Burma live in remote camps in Thailand near the border
Illicit drugs
[time series]
world's third largest producer of illicit opium with an estimated production in 2009 of 250 metric tons, a decrease of 27%, and poppy cultivation in 2009 totaled 17,000 hectares, a 24% decrease from 2008; production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest control remains low; Shan state is the source of 94.5% of Burma's poppy cultivation; lack of government will to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption (2008)
Refugees and internally displaced persons
[time series]
IDPs: more than 450,000 (government offensives against armed ethnic minority groups near its borders with China and Thailand) (2012)
Trafficking in persons
[time series]
current situation: Burma is a source country for women, children, and men trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; Burmese women and children are trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labor; Burmese children are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Thailand as hawkers and beggars; women are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Malaysia and China; some trafficking victims transit Burma from Bangladesh to Malaysia and from China to Thailand; Burma's internal trafficking remains the most serious concern occurring primarily from villages to urban centers and economic hubs for labor in industrial zones, agricultural estates, and commercial sexual exploitation; the Burmese military continues to engage in the unlawful conscription of child soldiers, and continues to be the main perpetrator of forced labor inside Burma; a small number of foreign pedophiles occasionally exploit Burmese children in the country tier rating: Tier 3 - the driving factors behind Burma's significant trafficking problem are the regime's gross economic mismanagement and human rights abuses, the military's continued widespread use of forced and child labor, and the recruitment of child soldiers; although the government of Burma has taken some steps to address cross-border sex trafficking, it has not demonstrated serious and sustained efforts to clamp down on military and local authorities who are themselves deriving economic benefit from forced labor practices (2010)
Transportation
Airports
[time series]
74 (2012) country comparison to the world: 73
Airports - with paved runways
[time series]
total: 36 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 under 914 m: 1 (2012)
Airports - with unpaved runways
[time series]
total: 38 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 23 (2012)
Heliports
[time series]
9 (2012)
Merchant marine
[time series]
total: 29 country comparison to the world: 86 by type: cargo 22, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, Japan 1) registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 3) (2010)
Pipelines
[time series]
gas 3,046 km; oil 551 km (2010)
Ports
(Ports and terminals)
[time series]
Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe
Railways
[time series]
total: 5,031 km country comparison to the world: 36 narrow gauge: 5,031 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways
[time series]
total: 34,377 km (includes 358 km of expressways) (2010) country comparison to the world: 94
Waterways
[time series]
12,800 km (2011) country comparison to the world: 10