Myanmar (Burma) (Union of Myanmar)

http://www.humantruth.info/myanmar_(burma).html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#Asia #indonesia #myanmar_(burma) #thailand #Theravada_Buddhism

Myanmar (Burma) Union of Myanmar
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	163rd best
Capital	Naypyidaw
Land Area	653 290km²₁
Location	Asia
Population	53.7m₂
Life Expectancy	65.67yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$3 851 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	MM, MMR, 104₅
Internet Domain	.mm₆
Currency	Kyat (MMK)₇
Telephone	+95₈

1. Overview

“Various ethnic Burmese and ethnic minority city-states or kingdoms occupied the present borders through the 19th century. Over a period of 62 years (1824-1886), Britain conquered Burma and incorporated the country into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; in 1948, Burma attained independence from the Commonwealth. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. In response to widespread civil unrest, NE WIN resigned in 1988, but within months the military crushed student-led protests and took power. Multiparty legislative elections in 1990 resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory. Instead of handing over power, the junta placed NLD leader (and Nobel Peace Prize recipient) AUNG SAN SUU KYI (ASSK) under house arrest from 1989 to 1995, 2000 to 2002, and from May 2003 to November 2010. In late September 2007, the ruling junta brutally suppressed protests over increased fuel prices led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks, killing at least 13 people and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations. In early May 2008, Burma was struck by Cyclone Nargis, which left over 138,000 dead and tens of thousands injured and homeless. Despite this tragedy, the junta proceeded with its May constitutional referendum, the first vote in Burma since 1990. Parliamentary elections held in November 2010, considered flawed by many in the international community, saw the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party garner over 75% of the seats. Parliament convened in January 2011 and selected former Prime Minister THEIN SEIN as president. Although the vast majority of national-level appointees named by THEIN SEIN are former or current military officers, the government has initiated a series of political and economic reforms leading to a substantial opening of the long-isolated country. These reforms have included allowing ASSK to contest parliamentary by-elections on 1 April 2012, releasing hundreds of political prisoners, reaching preliminary peace agreements with 10 of the 11 major armed ethnic groups, enacting laws that provide better protections for basic human rights, and gradually reducing restrictions on freedom of the press, association, and civil society. At least due in part to these reforms, ASSK now serves as an elected Member of Parliament and chair of the Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquility. Most political parties have begun building their institutions in preparation for the next round of general elections in 2015. The country is preparing to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2014.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Now is the moment to visit this extraordinary land, scattered with gilded pagodas, where the traditional ways of Asia endure and areas that were previously off-limits are opening up. Turn back the clock in this time-warped country that´s a world apart from the rest of Southeast Asia. Travelling in Myanmar is a chance to swap the hubbub and electronic demands of modern life for the calm of gilded temples and ancient monasteries.Enjoy slowly unfolding journeys through serene landscapes including meandering rivers, lush jungles, ethnic minority villages and pristine palm-fringed beaches.
Democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi is free from house arrest and the tourism boycott has been lifted.
Myanmar remains a troubled land and it´s up to you to decide whether to visit or not. Keep in mind that the long-suffering people are gentle, humorous, engaging, considerate, inquisitive and passionate; they want to play a part in the world and to know what you make of their world. Come with your mind open and you´ll leave with your heart full.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Myanmar (Burma) National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
4	Hong Kong	0.952
5	Australia	0.951
	...
146	Zimbabwe	0.593
147	Cambodia	0.593
148	Angola	0.586
149	Myanmar (Burma)	0.585
150	Syria	0.577
151	Cameroon	0.576
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
4	Luxembourg	$84 649
5	Ireland	$76 169
	...
152	Sao Tome & Principe	$4 021
153	Papua New Guinea	$4 009
154	Nepal	$3 877
155	Myanmar (Burma)	$3 851
156	Zimbabwe	$3 810
157	Micronesia	$3 696
	Asia Avg	$22 215
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂_,₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂_,₁₃
1	Taiwan	28.6
2	Norway	29.4
3	Denmark	31.2
4	Sweden	32.2
5	Finland	32.6
	...
160	Kiribati	111.5
161	Cameroon	112.1
162	Nigeria	112.1
163	Myanmar (Burma)	112.8
164	Djibouti	113.2
165	Pakistan	114.0
	Asia Avg	87.1
	World Avg	86.1
q=195.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Myanmar (Burma)'s Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

Myanmar (Burma)'s population is predicted to rise to 54.33 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.95. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population (2018)₂
Pos.		Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
4	Indonesia	267.7m
5	Pakistan	212.2m
	...
23	Italy	60.6m
24	S. Africa	57.8m
25	Tanzania	56.3m
26	Myanmar (Burma)	53.7m
27	Kenya	51.4m
28	S. Korea	51.2m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
144	Palau	66.0
145	Gabon	65.8
146	Guyana	65.7
147	Myanmar (Burma)	65.7
148	Papua New Guinea	65.4
149	Marshall Islands	65.3
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
4	Burkina Faso	04.7
5	Sierra Leone	04.8
	...
84	Tonga	11.9
85	Kyrgyzstan	12.1
86	Indonesia	12.4
87	Myanmar (Burma)	12.5
88	India	12.5
89	Bolivia	12.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₆
Pos.		%₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
4	Liechtenstein	65.1%
5	Monaco	54.9%
	...
187	Philippines	0.2%
188	N. Korea	0.2%
189	Sri Lanka	0.2%
190	Myanmar (Burma)	0.1%
191	Madagascar	0.1%
192	Indonesia	0.1%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
	...
172	Mongolia	1.2%
173	Kenya	1.1%
174	Indonesia	1.1%
175	Myanmar (Burma)	1.0%
176	Solomon Islands	1.0%
177	India	0.9%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#Buddhist_extremism #china #equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #islam #morals #myanmar #Myanmar_(Burma) #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₈_,₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈_,₁₉
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
	...
169	Malaysia	127.3
170	Grenada	128.6
171	Equatorial Guinea	128.6
172	Myanmar (Burma)	128.7
173	Micronesia	128.8
174	Chad	130.6
	Asia Avg	99.8
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

Myanmar (Burma) is amongst the worst places in the world at ensuring human rights and freedom, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Myanmar (Burma) does worse than average in terms of opposing gender inequality₂₀, LGBT equality₂₁, freethought₂₂ and in supporting press freedom₂₃. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 for the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₄, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₅, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₆ (one of the worst in Asia), speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₇ (amongst the highest in Asia) and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₈ (amongst the lowest in Asia). After attacks on security force outposts by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants, in 2017, the Burmese military "launched a large-scale ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya Muslim population" and engaged in widespread crimes against humanity₂₉. Human rights are poorly defended because of Burma's "weak rule of law, corrupt judiciary, Buddhist extremism₃₀, and unwillingness to prosecute members of the security forces"₂₉. Since a military coup in 2021, civil life has deteriorated even further₃₀. Despite all this, China continued to strengthen economic ties to Burma and has actively shielded its government from international action₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Myanmar (Burma)

5. Myanmar (Burma)'s Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #Myanmar_(Burma) #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Asia (2020)₃₁_,₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₁_,₃₂
1	Hong Kong	18.3
2	Maldives	41.0
3	Singapore	42.6
4	Japan	51.0
5	S. Korea	51.3
	...
21	Bahrain	77.3
22	Armenia	78.4
23	Cyprus	78.6
24	Myanmar (Burma)	79.1
25	India	79.6
26	Nepal	80.3
27	Israel	82.1
	Asia Avg	80.1
q=50.

Health (2020)₃₁_,₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₁_,₃₂
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
	...
42	Armenia	78.4
43	Cyprus	78.6
44	Malta	78.9
45	Myanmar (Burma)	79.1
46	India	79.6
47	Slovenia	79.9
48	Tunisia	80.1
	World Avg	93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau₃₁.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean₃₁, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₃₁.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Myanmar (Burma) does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Myanmar (Burma) does better than average in its smoking rate₃₃, its adolescent birth rate₂₀, its fertility rate₁₄ and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₄ (but bad for Asia). But, things could still be better. Myanmar (Burma) does worse than average in its average life expectancy₁₁ (one of the lowest in Asia) and in its immunizations take-up₃₅. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
144	Palau	66.0
145	Gabon	65.8
146	Guyana	65.7
147	Myanmar (Burma)	65.7
148	Papua New Guinea	65.4
149	Marshall Islands	65.3
	Asia Avg	73.48
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₄
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	0.0
	...
74	Bolivia	4.8
75	Costa Rica	4.8
76	Guinea-Bissau	4.8
77	Myanmar (Burma)	4.8
78	Zambia	4.8
79	Zimbabwe	4.8
	Asia Avg	3.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	Asia Avg	2.46
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₃
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₃
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
179	Macedonia	2 732
178	Russia	2 690
	...
47	Maldives	215
46	Burkina Faso	213
45	Madagascar	206
44	Myanmar (Burma)	206
43	Ecuador	191
42	Guatemala	190
	Asia Avg	1 035
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₆
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
15	Sri Lanka	23.3
16	Malawi	23.4
17	Madagascar	23.9
18	Myanmar (Burma)	24.8
19	Rwanda	25.1
20	Congo, DR	25.3
	Asia Avg	44.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₀
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
	...
51	Tonga	15.2
52	Mongolia	15.7
53	Turkmenistan	16.4
54	Myanmar (Burma)	16.5
55	Malta	16.6
56	Kiribati	17.2
	Asia Avg	29.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₅
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
	...
152	Marshall Islands	81.8
153	Mozambique	81.4
154	Venezuela	80.6
155	Myanmar (Burma)	80.3
156	Benin	80.1
157	Guinea-Bissau	80.1
	Asia Avg	90.5
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Myanmar (Burma)'s Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #politics #research #science #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Taiwan	10.0
2	Japan	21.9
3	S. Korea	24.0
4	Singapore	27.9
5	Israel	32.2
	...
44	Laos	115.2
45	Iraq	121.8
46	Syria	123.5
47	Myanmar (Burma)	127.0
48	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	129.0
49	Yemen	134.4
50	Afghanistan	136.7
	Asia Avg	79.0
q=51.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
	...
171	Angola	124.8
172	San Marino	125.0
173	Djibouti	125.8
174	Myanmar (Burma)	127.0
175	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	129.0
176	Honduras	130.6
177	Liberia	130.8
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₇
2	Israel	4.11₃₇
3	Japan	3.58₃₇
4	Finland	3.17₃₇
5	Sweden	3.16₃₇
	...
106	Burundi	0.12₃₈
107	Madagascar	0.11₃₈
108	Philippines	0.11₃₉
109	Myanmar (Burma)	0.11₄₀
110	Peru	0.10₄₁
111	Paraguay	0.09₄₂
	Asia Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₃
Pos.		Higher is better₄₃
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
4	Canada	100.0%
5	Finland	100.0%
	...
148	Sierra Leone	26.3%
149	Ivory Coast	26.1%
150	Afghanistan	26.1%
151	Myanmar (Burma)	25.8%
152	Central African Rep.	22.1%
153	Malawi	21.8%
	Asia Avg	66.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2021)₄₄
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₄
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
	...
148	Lebanon	11.3
149	Rwanda	11.2
150	Zambia	10.9
151	Myanmar (Burma)	10.9
152	N. Korea	10.8
153	Benin	10.8
	Asia Avg	13.5
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better₄₅
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
	...
191	Congo, DR	4%
192	Guinea-Bissau	4%
193	Chad	3%
194	Myanmar (Burma)	3%
195	Sierra Leone	2%
196	Niger	2%
	Asia Avg	48.7%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet (2012)₄₆
Pos.		Lower is better₄₆
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
4	Australia	18
5	Hungary	19
	...
39	Saudi Arabia	71
40	Vietnam	73
41	Ethiopia	75
42	Myanmar (Burma)	75
43	Uzbekistan	77
44	Syria	83
	Asia Avg	56.6
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₄₇
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
129	Guyana	0.0
130	Namibia	0.0
131	Tonga	0.0
132	Myanmar (Burma)	0.0
133	Morocco	0.0
134	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.0
	Asia Avg	2.11
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

The region of south-east Asia hosts some of the kindest people in the world. Myanmar and Thailand often top the World Giving Index₄₈, which the Charities Aid Foundation attributes to the teachings and values of Theravada Buddhism₄₈. Likewise, in Indonesia, giving is strongly encouraged by the Islamic doctrine of zakat, causing that country to give to charity at three times the global average rate. There are cultural problems, however: Myanmar has a consistently awful long-term record on corruption, with only a few signs of improvement.

World Giving Index (2013-2021)₄₉
Pos.		Lower is better₄₉
1	Myanmar (Burma)	2.7
2	New Zealand	4.0
3	USA	4.7
4	Australia	4.9
5	Indonesia	9.0
6	Qatar	9.0
7	UK	9.3
8	Ireland	9.6
9	Canada	10.1
10	UAE	11.6
11	Bahrain	11.7
12	Kenya	12.0
	Asia Avg	62.5
	World Avg	67.9
q=160.

Corruption (2022)₅₀
Pos.		Higher is better Points₅₀
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
155	Afghanistan	24.0
156	Tajikistan	24.0
157	Zimbabwe	23.0
158	Myanmar (Burma)	23.0
159	Azerbaijan	23.0
160	Honduras	23.0
	Asia Avg	39.98
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness (2018)₅₁
Pos.		Higher is better₅₁
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
4	Iceland	7.5
5	Switzerland	7.5
	...
127	Ethiopia	4.4
128	Georgia	4.3
129	Armenia	4.3
130	Myanmar (Burma)	4.3
131	Chad	4.3
132	Congo, DR	4.2
	Asia Avg	5.29
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index (2021)₅₂
Pos.		Lower is better₅₂
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
128	Brazil	2.43
129	Burundi	2.43
130	Nicaragua	2.45
131	Myanmar (Burma)	2.46
132	Chad	2.49
133	Zimbabwe	2.49
	Asia Avg	2.22
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₃
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₃
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.00
5	Cambodia	0.00
	...
122	Ethiopia	5.35
123	UK	5.41
124	Burkina Faso	5.42
125	Myanmar (Burma)	5.51
126	Mozambique	5.54
127	Ukraine	5.55
	Asia Avg	3.60
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₄
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₄
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
	...
164	Nepal	-24.7
165	Benin	-25.2
166	Guatemala	-25.4
167	Myanmar (Burma)	-25.9
168	Cambodia	-26.9
169	Chad	-27.3
	Asia Avg	+07.0
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better₅₅
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
	...
135	Mozambique	46.4
136	Uzbekistan	45.9
137	Chad	45.3
138	Myanmar (Burma)	45.3
139	Ivory Coast	45.3
140	Gabon	45.1
	Asia Avg	54.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.		Earlier is better Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
4	Vanuatu	1993 Dec 29
5	Papua New Guinea	1993 Dec 29
	...
99	Vietnam	1995 Feb 14
100	Switzerland	1995 Feb 19
101	Argentina	1995 Feb 20
102	Myanmar (Burma)	1995 Feb 23
103	Colombia	1995 Feb 26
104	Ivory Coast	1995 Feb 27
	Asia Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is worse₅₆
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
181	Somalia	38.90
180	Nigeria	37.10
	...
144	Turkmenistan	23.40
143	Djibouti	23.40
142	Gabon	22.80
141	Myanmar (Burma)	22.80
140	Congo, (Brazzaville)	22.80
139	Laos	22.60
	Asia Avg	11.80
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₅₇
Pos.		Lower is better %₅₇
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
4	Czechia	25.9
5	Moldova	25.9
	...
84	El Salvador	38.0
85	Gabon	38.0
86	Indonesia	38.1
87	Myanmar (Burma)	38.1
88	Maldives	38.4
89	Burundi	38.6
	Asia Avg	35.2
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

Multidimensional Poverty (2018)₅₈
Pos.		Lower is better Severity₅₈
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
4	Turkmenistan	.001
5	Jordan	.002
	...
60	Namibia	.171
61	Vanuatu	.174
62	Bhutan	.175
63	Myanmar (Burma)	.176
64	Kenya	.178
65	Comoros	.181
	Asia Avg	.084
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism #myanmar #myanmar_(burma) #religion_in_myanmar #Therevada_Buddhism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₅₉:

Christian	7.8%
Muslim	4%
Hindu	1.7%
Buddhist	80.1%
Folk Religion	5.8%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.5%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%₆₀.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: In this 88% Buddhist country, minorities such as Hindus, Christians and Muslims face "threats and persecution", and their religious activities are "tightly regulated", even in their own homes₂₉. Article 361 of the Constitution specifically names Buddhism as the favoured religion, with Therevada Buddhism in particular being supported by Government. Sociologists Grim & Finke still place Myanmar into the worst possible category when it comes to religious freedom and persecution: Severe restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of belief stem simultaneously from top-down pressure from government and institutionalized religion, and from bottom-up grassroots movements that often go even further than the government in harassing those who do not believe the right things (2011)₆₁.

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