PEOPLE
A majority of Burma's people are ethnic Burmans. Shans, Karens, Rohingya, Arakanese, Kachins, Chins, Mons, and many other smaller indigenous ethnic groups form about 30% of the population. Indians and Chinese are the largest non-indigenous groups.
Although Burmese is the most widely spoken language (approx. 32 million speakers), other ethnic groups have retained their own identities and languages. Some of the most prominent are Shan; various Karen, Karenni and Chin languages; Arakanese; Jingpaw; Mon; Palaung; Parauk; Wa; and Yangbye. English is spoken in many areas frequented by tourists. The Indian and Chinese residents speak various languages and dialects of their homelands: Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Mandarin, Fujian, and Cantonese.
An estimated 89% of the population practices Buddhism. Other religions, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, and animist 1%, are less prevalent, although Christian and Muslim groups claim the regime significantly underestimates their number of adherents.
According to the UN Development Programme's 2007 Human Development Report, public health expenditure equaled only 0.3% of Burma's GDP. High infant mortality rates and short life expectancies further highlight poor health and living conditions. Tuberculosis, diarrheal disease, malaria, and HIV/AIDS pose serious threats to the Burmese population, In 2008, the UNDP's Human Development Index, which measures achievements in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment, and adjusted real income, ranked Burma 133 out of 177 countries.
There are numerous documented human rights violations, and internal displacement of ethnic minorities is prevalent. Over two million Burmese, many of them ethnic minorities, have fled for economic and political reasons to Thailand, Bangladesh, India, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia to seek work and asylum. Approximately 150,000 Burmese live in nine refugee camps in Thailand along the border with Burma. Approximately 21,000 Burmese Rohingya are registered as living in two camps in Bangladesh, and up to 200,000 unregistered Rohingya live outside of these two camps.
Roughly 40,000 Burmese (mostly Chin and Rohingya) are registered people of concern by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia. Another 80,000 unregistered Burmese Chin are in India.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Burmese.
Population: 48.8 million (IMF, 2008); no official census has been taken since 1983.
Annual population growth rate (2005 UNDP estimate)*: 0.8%.
Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%.
Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%.
Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic languages.
Education: Literacy--adult, 89.9%; male, 93.9%; female, 86.4% (UNDP 2005 estimate )*.
Health: Infant mortality rate--105 deaths/1,000 live births (UNDP 2005 estimate)*. Life expectancy--60.8 yrs.: male, 57.6 yrs.; female 64.2 (2005 UNDP estimate)*.
*The Burmese government reviews UNDP figures prior to release.
