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People
Editor's Note:
The former military authorities that ruled this country changed the historic name - Burma - to Union of Myanmar or Myanmar. Although the new name is used in conventional practice today, it was never endorsed by a sitting legislature. CountryWatch references this country by both the historic and conventional names in its materials, however, the lack of legitimization in regard to the conventional usage should be duly noted.
Background
Burma, also known as Myanmar, is located in the western portion of mainland Southeast Asia. It is bordered by several countries: China to the north and northeast, Laos to the east, Thailand to the southeast, Bangladesh to the west, and India to the northwest.
Cultural Demography
The population of Myanmar -- about 59 million -- is highly diverse. There are eight major ethnic groups subdivided into some 135 ethnic minorities. The largest ethnic group is the Burman (also known as the Bamar), which constitutes about 70 percent of the population. Other major ethnic groups include Shan, Karen, Rakhine, Mon, Kachin, Kayah and Chin. There are also small percentages of Chinese and Indian minorities, as well as a very small community of Europeans and other Westerners.
The ethnic diversity has resulted in linguistic diversity. The official language is Burmese, and several indigenous languages are also spoken. These languages belong to three language families: the Burmese and most of the other languages belong to the Sino-Tibetan family; the Shan language belongs to the Tai family; languages spoken by the Mon belong to the Mon-Khmer subfamily of the Austro-Asiatic family. English was once the official language in Myanmar during the colonial times, but it ceased to be the official language after Myanmar gained independence. Though having lost its importance in schools and colleges, teaching of English is still required for elementary schools.
The major religion of Myanmar is Buddhism, which claims more than 80 percent of the population as followers. As in many Southeast Asian countries, the Theravada sect of Buddhism is prevalent in Myanmar. Buddhist monasteries and pagodas dot the landscape of Myanmar and reflect the major religion of the land. In addition, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Animism are practiced in Myanmar.
Human Development
The population of Myanmar has a life expectancy rate of 64.5 years of age for the total population. The infant mortality rate of Myanmar is 50.76 deaths per 1,000 live births. In terms of literacy, 89.9 percent of the population, age 15 and over, can read and write.
About two percent of GDP is spent on health expenditures. Access to water and sanitation is generally good, especially in urban areas; however, access is more problematic in rural areas.
A notable measure of human development is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is formulated by the United Nations Development Program. The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. The HDI from a recent Human Development Report places Myanmar in the low human development category, at 132nd place among 169 countries and territories surveyed.
Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief, www.countrywatch.com . See Bibliography for list of research sources.
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