• Official name: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (Union of Myanmar).

• Form of government: military regime

• Head of state and government: Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council.

• Capital: Yangôn (Rangoon).

• Official language: Burmese.

• Official religion: none.

• Monetary unit: 1 Myanmar kyat (K)=100 pyas;
  valuation (Oct. 6, 1995) 1 U.S.$=K 5.66; 1 Pound=K 8.94.

Demography

• Population (1995): 46,527,000.

• Density  (1995): persons per sq mi 178.1, persons per sq km 68.8.

• Urban-rural (1995): urban 26.0%; rural 74.0%.

• Sex distribution (1990): male 49.56%; female 50.44%.

• Age breakdown (1990): under 15, 36.0%; 15-29, 29.7%; 30-44, 17.8%; 45-59, 10.1%; 60-74, 5.3%; 75 and over, 1.1%.

• Population projection: (2000) 51,539,000; (2010) 61,596,000.

• Doubling time: 33 years.

• Ethnic composition (1983): n 69.0%; Shan 8.5%; Karen 6.2%; Rakhine 4.5%; Mon 2.4%; Chin 2.2%; Kachin 1.4%; other 5.8%.

• Religious affiliation (1990): Buddhist 89.1%; Christian 4.9%; Muslim 3.8%; other 2.2%.

• Major cities (1983): Yangôn (Rangoon) 2,513,023; Mandalay 532,949; Moulmein (Mawlamyine) 219,961; Pegu (Bago) 150,528; Bassein (Pathein) 144,096.

Vital statistics

• Birth rate per 1,000 population (1995): 31.0 (world avg. 25.0).

• Death rate per 1,000 population (1995): 10.0 (world avg. 9.3).

• Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1995): 21.0 (world avg. 15.7).

• Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1995): 4.0.

• Marriage rate per 1,000 population: n.a.

• Divorce rate per 1,000 population: n.a.

• Life expectancy at birth (1995): male 57.0 years; female 61.0 years.

• Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1987): infectious and parasitic diseases 29.5; respiratory diseases 14.8; circulatory diseases 10.0; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 7.9; malnutrition 2.2.

National economy

• Budget (1992-93). Revenue: K 20,313,000,000 (revenue from taxes 61.8%, of which taxes on goods and services 31.8%, taxes on international trade 14.4%; nontax revenue 33.8%; capital revenue 4.4%). Expenditures: K 27,931,000,000 (defense 32.7%; education 17.0%; general public service 12.2%; transportation 10.3%; health 7.4%; agriculture 7.1%).

• Public debt (external, outstanding; 1993): U.S.$5,135,000,000.

• Tourism: receipts from visitors (1993) U.S.$19,000,000; expenditures by nationals abroad (1991) U.S.$1,000,000.

• Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1994): rice 19,057,000, sugarcane 2,849,000, pulses 960,000, peanuts (groundnuts) 431,000, corn (maize) 271,000, plantains 265,000, sesame seeds 187,000, potatoes 173,000, onions 160,000, millet 156,000, tobacco leaves 52,000, seed cotton 43,000, jute 25,000; livestock (number of live animals) 9,691,000 cattle, 2,589,000 pigs, 2,130,000 buffalo, 1,417,000 sheep and goats, 4,000,000 ducks, 25,000,000 chickens; roundwood (1993) 22,544,000 cu m; fish catch (1993) 836,878. Mining and quarrying (1994-95): gypsum 28,916; copper concentrates 24,036; refined lead 1,267; tin concentrates 530; jade 258; refined silver 97,350 troy oz. Manufacturing (value of production in '000,000 kyats; 1987-88): food and beverages 23,549.8; clothing and wearing apparel 1,606.6; industrial raw materials 1,468.9; construction materials 1,120.9; transport vehicles 719.0; personal goods 327.8. Construction (units; 1987-88): residential 1,193; nonresidential 1,483. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1993) 3,030,000,000 (3,030,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1993) 71,000 (74,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1993) 5,100,000 (5,285,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1993) 618,000 (619,000); natural gas (cu m; 1993) 973,000,000 (973,000,000).

• Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1983) 5.2; average annual income per household: n.a.; sources of income: n.a.; expenditure (1978): food and beverages 64.4%, clothing and footwear 8.0%, fuel and lighting 7.8%, household rent and repairs 3.8%, tobacco 3.7%, other 12.3%.

• Gross national product (at current market prices; 1992-93): U.S.$30,707,000,000 (U.S.$700 per capita).

• Population economically active (1990-91): total 15,737,000; activity rate of total population 37.2% (participation rates: ages 15-64 [1983] 64.2%; female [1987-88] 35.3%; unemployed [1987-88] 4.3%).

• Land use (1993): forested 49.3%; meadows and pastures 0.5%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 15.3%; other 34.9%.

Foreign trade

• Imports (1991-92): K 4,059,000,000 (machinery and transport equipment 42.4%; basic manufactures 15.3%; animal and vegetable oils 9.5%; chemicals 9.5%; food, beverages, and tobacco 5.0%). Major import sources (1992-93): Singapore 30.3%; China 26.5%; Japan 9.9%; Malaysia 9.2%; South Korea 3.2%; Hong Kong 1.5%.

• Exports (1991-92): K 2,633,000,000 (inedible crude materials 47.3%; food, beverages, and tobacco 34.5%; basic manufactures 2.3%). Major export destinations (1992-93): China 18.7%; Singapore 14.0%; India 8.0%; Hong Kong 7.0%; Japan 6.8%; United States 5.9%.

Transport and communications

• Transport. Railroads (1992-93): track length 2,945 mi, 4,740 km; passenger-mi 2,908,000,000, passenger-km 4,680,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 403,000,000, metric ton-km cargo 648,000,000. Roads (1992-93): total length 15,118 mi, 24,330 km (paved 16%). Vehicles (1993): passenger cars 36,000; trucks and buses 36,000. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 144; total deadweight tonnage 1,354,005. Air transport (1990-91): passenger-mi 137,700,000, passenger-km 221,600,000; short ton-mi cargo 5,649,000, metric ton-km cargo 8,248,000; airports (1995) with scheduled flights 19.

• Communications. Daily newspapers (1993): total number 2; total circulation 414,000; circulation per 1,000 population 9. Radio (1994): total receivers 3,300,000 (1 per 14 persons). Television (1994): total receivers 1,000,000 (1 per 46 persons). Telephones (main lines; 1993): 80,000 (1 per 556 persons).

Education and health

• Educational attainment (1983). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no formal schooling 55.8%; primary education 39.4%; secondary 4.6%; religious 0.1%; postsecondary 0.1%. Literacy (1983): total population age 15 and over literate 16,472,494 (78.5%); males literate 8,816,031 (85.8%); females literate 7,656,463 (71.6%).

• Health (1992-93): physicians 13,353 (1 per 3,306 persons); hospital beds 27,830 (1 per 1,586 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1995) 78.

• Food (1992): daily per capita caloric intake 2,598 (vegetable products 96%, animal products 4%); 120% of FAO recommended minimum requirement.
   

Military

• Total active duty peorsnnel (1995): 286,000 (army 92.7%, navy 4.2%, air force 3.1%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1992): 3.8% (world 3.7%); per capita expenditure U.S.$37.

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