Census in Myanmar
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1872 | 2,747,148 | — |
| 1881 | 3,737,000 | +36.0% |
| 1891 | 7,722,000 | +106.6% |
| 1901 | 10,491,000 | +35.9% |
| 1911 | 12,115,000 | +15.5% |
| 1921 | 13,212,000 | +9.1% |
| 1931 | 14,667,000 | +11.0% |
| 1941 | 16,824,000 | +14.7% |
| 1973 | 28,921,000 | +71.9% |
| 1983 | 35,306,000 | +22.1% |
| 2014 | 51,419,420 | +45.6% |
| 2024 | 51,316,756 | −0.2% |
| Sources: 1872-1983, 2014 2024 | ||
The Burmese census is an official count of the human population in Burma (Myanmar).
History
The earliest census on record in Burmese history was taken in 1359 in the Pinya Kingdom. The first nationwide census was taken in 1638, and it was followed by two other nationwide censuses in 1784 and 1803. The first modern census was taken in 1891 in the British colonial period. It was carried out in 10-year intervals until 1941. In the post-independence area, the census has been conducted 3 times, in 1973, 1983, and 2014.
2014 Census
The last census was conducted by the Ministry of Immigration and Population's Department of Population, and was funded by Western donors, at a cost of US$74 million, and supervised by the United Nations Population Fund.
2024 Census
In March 2023, the SAC announced it would conduct a nationwide census between 1 and 15 October 2024, in preparation for the next Myanmar general election. Due to ongoing political instability in the wake of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and limited recognition of the military junta, the UN denied allegations that it would support the planned census.
In September 2024, the military leader of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing announced that the main purpose of the 2024 census is to get voter lists for the 2025 general election. The current main opposition to Min Aung Hlaing, the National Unity Government advised caution when answering the questions on the census. The 2024 census doesnot include the data from regions controlled by ethnic armed forces and pro-democracy guerrillas. The preliminary census result showed the population to be 51.3 million, a decrease from 51.5 million in 2014.