Myanmar’s population declines slightly over a decade due to lower birth rates and migration driven by terrorism
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Eain/ Thant Zin (NP News) - Jan 8
Within a decade, Myanmar's population experienced a slight decline due to a falling birth rate and migration driven by terrorism and internal conflicts, according to U Myint Kyaing, Union Minister for Immigration and Population and Chairperson of the Central Census Commission Chairman.
As of the evening of September 30, preliminary census data indicates Myanmar's population is estimated to be 51,316,756.
Due to security and transportation challenges, some areas were inaccessible during the census. The Central Census Commission estimated the population of these inaccessible areas at 19,125,349 using census data, remote sensing, expert assessments, and departmental records, while accessible regions reported a population of 32,191,407.
The 2024 preliminary census indicates a decrease of approximately 200,000 people compared to the 51.5 million recorded in the 2014 Population and Household Registration.
"Generally, we've seen a decline in birth rates. In Myanmar, following the 2014 census, we experienced the severe COVID-19 outbreak around 2020. This period saw a reduction in births. Subsequently, terrorist activities by armed groups led to some migration. It's this combination of migration and the lower birth rate that has resulted in a slight population decrease," stated U Myint Kyaing, Chairman of the Central Census Commission and Union Minister for Immigration and Population.
Due to security reasons, complete enumeration of the population was not possible in some areas during the 2024 Population and Household Registration, even though 145 of 330 townships were fully enumerated.
In 127 townships, only a partial census was conducted. Due to security and transportation conditions, the census was delayed, extending into the second week of December in some of these locations.
"There are 58 townships where it was not possible to conduct the census fully. That is about one-sixth of all the townships in the entire country. We are conducting this using satellite technology. Mainly, we are reconstructing satellite images technologically and then working to get the exact population. Those resulting data are also cross-checked and calculated with international technicians and departmental statistics before being released," said U Myint Kyaing.
With 17,086,192 females (53.1%) and 15,105,215 males (46.9%), females constitute a majority of the population according to the collected data.
The 2024 preliminary census, 100 percent coverage was achieved in the Yangon Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Naypyidaw, and Bago Region (Western part) among the regions and states.