Burma — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Burma: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Burma — in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand. Political status: military regime. It covers 676,578 sq km. Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands. Climate: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April).
| Capital | Rangoon (aka Yangon, continues to be recognized as the primary Burmese capital by the US Government); Nay Pyi Taw is the administrative capital |
|---|---|
| Population | 57,931,718 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $287.559 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $5,300 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -1% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 8.8% (2019 est.) |
| Unemployment | 3.1% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 35.7% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $20.4 billion (2021 est.) |
| Imports | $23.1 billion (2021 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 70.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 31.1 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 32.1% of total population (2023) |
| Government | military regime |
| Independence | 4 January 1948 (from the UK) |
| Languages | Burmese (official) |
Burma’s GDP is $287.559 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $74.08 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew -1% (2024 est.). See where Burma ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
The quarter's signal was silence: no major domestic development, no external shock, no diplomatic breakthrough.
The country's course remains what it was in June — set by structural realities that no single quarter rewrites.
- What our model rewards: unemployment near 3.1% — work for whoever wants it; public debt under 36% of GDP — room to maneuver
Oil, Timber, Tin, Antimony, Zinc, Copper, Tungsten, Lead, Coal, Marble, Natural gas, Hydropower.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 73.7% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 61.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 36.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 8.384 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 24.7 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Gas 49.8%, Hydro 38.6%, Coal 9.5%, Solar 0.5%, Oil 0.4% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 40.2% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 569.7 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $20.4 billion (2021 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $23.1 billion (2021 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $2.7 billion (2021), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | agricultural processing; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; cement, construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; oil and natural gas; garments; jade and gems |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Min Aung Hlaing — President of Myanmar. President MIN AUNG HLAING (elected 3 April 2026, sworn in 10 April 2026)
Burma maintains 46 embassies abroad, hosts 42 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to ASEAN Jakarta, UN New York, UN Geneva. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 46 |
|---|---|
| Foreign missions hosted | 42 |
| Multilateral missions | ASEAN Jakarta, UN New York, UN Geneva |
Source: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 (released 2024-02-25), https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/; Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Myanmar', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_Myanmar; '... in Myanmar', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Myanmar
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 1930 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 74 + 6 heliports (registration prefix XY) |
| Major seaports | Bassein, Mergui, Moulmein Harbor, Rangoon, Sittwe |
| Railways | 5031 km |
Major airports
Mandalay International Airport (MDL) — Mandalay; Nay Pyi Taw International Airport (NYT) — Naypyitaw; Yangon International Airport (RGN) — Yangon; Dawei Airport (TVY) — Dawei; Heho Airport (HEH) — Heho; Kawthoung Airport (KAW) — Kawthoung; Kengtung Airport (KET) — Kengtung; Kyaukpyu Airport (KYP) — Kyaukpyu; Lashio Airport (LSH) — Lashio; Loikaw Airport (LIW) — Loikaw.
Showing 10 of 15 major airports.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28)
| Political system | military regime |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Burma.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Burma — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Burma's power score?
Burma has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.