Quick answerMyanmar is a country in South-eastern Asia, with a population of 51,316,756 (2024). Its capital is Naypyidaw, its official language is Burmese, and its currency is the Myanmar kyat (MMK). It covers 676,579 square kilometres (261,229 square miles), and its time zone is Asia/Yangon.
Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia, home to about 51 million people at the 2024 census. Its capital is Naypyidaw, its largest city is Yangon, and its official language is Burmese.
Key facts
| Capital | Naypyidaw |
|---|---|
| Population | 51,316,756 (2024) · 51.3 million |
| Population density | 78.5 people per km² (land area) |
| Area | 676,579 km² (261,229 sq mi) total · 653,508 km² (252,321 sq mi) land |
| Official language | Burmese (official) |
| Currency | Myanmar kyat (MMK, K) |
| Time zone | Asia/Yangon |
| Government | Unitary presidential assembly-independent republic |
| Coastline | 1,930 km |
| Highest point | Hkakabo Razi, 5,881 m |
| Life expectancy | 66.9 years (2023) |
| Calling code | +95 |
| Driving side | Right |
| Internet domain | .mm |
Overview
Myanmar sits in north-west Southeast Asia, on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, with India and Bangladesh to the north-west, China to the north-east, and Laos and Thailand to the east and south-east. It covers 676,579 square kilometres, making it the largest country in Mainland Southeast Asia, and its 1,930 kilometres of coastline run along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The north is mountainous, rising to Hkakabo Razi at 5,881 metres, while the Irrawaddy River runs the length of the country through its central dry zone to a wide delta in the south.
About 51.3 million people lived in Myanmar at the 2024 census, the first full census since 2014. Around 32 per cent of people live in towns and cities, above all in Yangon, the largest city, with about 5.2 million people, and Mandalay, with about 1.2 million. Burmese is the official language, and life expectancy at birth was 66.9 years in 2023. Myanmar is an ethnically diverse country: the Bamar are the majority, alongside Karen, Rakhine, Shan, Mon, Chin, Kachin and many smaller groups, and about 88 per cent of the population is Buddhist.
Myanmar's history runs from the Pyu city-states and the Mon kingdoms through the Pagan Kingdom, founded in the 1050s, whose temples still cover the plain of Bagan. The country was reunified under the Taungoo and Konbaung dynasties, became a British colony after three Anglo-Burmese wars in the 19th century, and gained independence in 1948. The military seized power in a coup in 1962, ruled for most of the following half-century, and seized power again in February 2021, after which an ongoing civil war broke out.
Today Myanmar is rich in natural resources, including jade, gems, oil, natural gas and teak, but it remains one of the least developed countries in the world, with prolonged political instability and low levels of human development. Its culture is known for the golden Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the temple plain of Bagan, the floating villages of Inle Lake, and the teak U Bein Bridge near Mandalay.
Notable facts
- Myanmar's population was 51,316,756 in the 2024 census, the first full census since 2014.
- Bagan, on the Irrawaddy River, holds more than 2,000 surviving temples and pagodas from the Pagan Kingdom, and was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2019.
- The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, about 99 metres tall and covered in gold plate, is Myanmar's most sacred Buddhist site.
- Hkakabo Razi, at 5,881 metres in the far north, is Myanmar's highest point, and Myanmar is the largest country in Mainland Southeast Asia.
- Myanmar is one of only three countries in the world, alongside the United States and Liberia, that have not fully adopted the metric system.
How Myanmar compares
Comparison table — Myanmar next to 3 similar countries (neighbours first, then the same subregion).
| Country | Population | Area | Density | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myanmar ★ | 51,316,756 (2024) | 676,579 km² | 78.5 people per km² | Naypyidaw |
| Bangladesh | 179,300,000 (2026) | 148,460 km² | 1377.4 people per km² | Dhaka |
| China | 1,404,890,000 (2025) | 9,596,961 km² | 150.6 people per km² | Beijing |
| India | 1,464,000,000 (2025) | 3,287,263 km² | 492.4 people per km² | New Delhi |
Cities in Myanmar
- Yangon Known for Shwedagon Pagoda
- Mandalay Known for Mandalay Hill
- Naypyidaw Known for Planned capital city
- Bago Known for Shwemawdaw Pagoda
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Myanmar?
The capital of Myanmar is Naypyidaw. It is a planned city built in central Myanmar in the 2000s, and it replaced Yangon as the administrative capital in 2005-2006. It is the seat of the parliament, the Supreme Court and the government ministries, but it is only the country's third-largest city, with about 1.16 million people in the Union Territory in the 2014 census.
What is the population of Myanmar?
Myanmar had a population of 51,316,756 in the 2024 census. That is lower than the 2014 census figure of 51,486,253, and well below the United Nations estimate of about 54.1 million for 1 July 2023, so the 2024 census count is contested and should be read with that caveat. About 32 per cent of people live in towns and cities.
What language is spoken in Myanmar?
Burmese is the official language of Myanmar. It is the mother tongue of the Bamar majority and the language of government, schools and television. Seven regional languages are also recognised: Chin, Kachin, Karen, Kayah, Mon, Rakhine and Shan, and about a hundred minority languages are spoken across the country.
What currency is used in Myanmar?
Myanmar uses the Myanmar kyat (MMK, symbol K). Banknotes are issued in denominations up to 10,000 kyat. Cash is still the norm in markets and small shops, and US dollars are sometimes accepted for larger purchases, but cards are uncommon outside hotels and larger businesses in Yangon and Mandalay.
Where is Myanmar?
Myanmar is in north-west Southeast Asia, on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. It borders India and Bangladesh to the north-west, China to the north-east, and Laos and Thailand to the east and south-east. It is the largest country in Mainland Southeast Asia, stretching from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the tropical coast in the south.
What time zone is Myanmar in?
Myanmar uses a single time zone, Myanmar Standard Time (UTC+6:30), across the whole country. The IANA time zone name is Asia/Yangon. There is no daylight saving time, so the clocks stay the same all year.
Quick quiz
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Keep exploring
- Yangon — city in Myanmar
- Mandalay — city in Myanmar
- Naypyidaw — capital of Myanmar
- Bago — city in Myanmar
- Bangladesh — neighbouring country
- China — neighbouring country
- India — neighbouring country
- Laos — neighbouring country (page coming soon)
- Thailand — neighbouring country
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
- Wikipedia — Myanmar
- Myanmar Department of Population, 2024 Census provisional results (October 2025)
- United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024 (via Wikipedia — List of countries and dependencies by population (United Nations))
- Wikipedia — List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline (CIA World Factbook figures)
- Wikipedia — List of countries by median age (CIA World Factbook 2024 estimates)
- Wikipedia — List of countries by life expectancy (United Nations, 2023 estimates)
- Wikipedia — Urbanization by sovereign state (CIA World Factbook 2023 urbanization)
- mledoze/countries (skeleton: borders, capital, languages, tld, coordinates, subregion)
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.