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2014 Myanmar census

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2014 Myanmar census

The Myanmar census 2014 (Burmese: ၂၀၁၄ ခုနှစ် လူဦးရေနှင့် အိမ်အကြောင်းအရာ သန်းခေါင်စာရင်း) was a nationwide census between 30 March and 10 April 2014 in Myanmar (Burma). 100,000 school teachers counted the population at midnight 29 March. The theme of the census campaign was A nationwide census – Let us all Participate.

The government officially recognises 135 ethnic groups. Major groups include the majority Bamar ethnic group, and the Chin, Karen, Kayah, Kachin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan, each of which gives its name to a state.

The earliest recorded Burmese census 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. After independence, the government conducted a census in 1953/54. Two more censuses were taken in 1973 and 1983 by Gen. Ne Win's military government. According to the 1983 census, the population of the country was 35,442,972, and the Bamar accounted for 69 per cent of the population. The Burmese government estimated the population to be 60.98 million in October 2012, based on approximate reproduction rates.

The census was taken in 80,985 areas across the nation. Officials prepared 41 questions for households and 11 questions for organizations.

The census faces several challenges. In the past censuses of 1973 and 1983, the country's ongoing armed conflicts put many parts of the country out of reach. As a result, several thousands of people (many of whom were hill-tribe peoples) in border regions were never counted. Another challenge is to ensure that everyone, regardless of citizenship, is counted. These include the Rohingya in northern Rakhine State, who are officially classified as stateless, as well as hundreds of thousands of immigrants from China, who have illegally entered the country since the last census. Other challenges include a systemic lack of expertise—most of the civil servants who worked on the 1973 and 1983 censuses are now retired or deceased/unfindable, low levels of awareness among the population about the census, and the difficulty of reaching areas with active fighting such as Kachin State, Shan State and Kayin State.

The Burmese government plans[when?] in the 2014 census to count Burmese refugees living in Thailand, who are estimated to number 130,000 people and Burmese nationals living abroad. Rohingya, described as Bengalis in Myanmar, will be counted under the "Other" ethnicity category on the census, along with ethnic Chinese and Pakistani residents. On 29 March 2014, the government banned the word Rohingya and asked Muslims to register themselves as Bengalis despite UN assurances. In protest, most Rohingyas boycotted the census.

On 16 March 2014, Rakhine mobs protested across Rakhine State, egged on by monk Ashin Wirathu demanding that the census be stopped or changed to prevent the Rohingyas from being able to define their ethnicity. Furthermore, according to The Economist, "There are also fears of a backlash from Buddhist nationalists, should the census show, as many think it will, that the Muslim population is more than double the official estimate of 4 million."

The United Nations has agreed to assist the Burmese government in conducting the census. In the two years leading up to the census, UNFPA assisted in surveyor training and drafting the census forms.

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