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CAUTION: The following links
and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the
situation in Myanmar in the early years of the 21st Century. Some of
these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are
unsubstantiated, misleading or even false. No attempt has been
made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content. HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking for
material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this
page and others to see which aspects of poverty are of particular interest to
you. You might be interested in
exploring the relationship between distribution of labor and per-capita GDP,
for example. Perhaps your paper could
focus on life expectancy or infant mortality.
Other factors of interest might be unemployment, literacy, access to
basic services, etc. On the other
hand, you might choose to include some of the possible outgrowths of poverty
such as Human Trafficking,
Street Children,
or even Prostitution. There is a lot to the subject of
Poverty. Scan other countries as well
as this one. Draw comparisons between
activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. *** Extreme Weather *** Myanmar
is at risk of several natural hazards, including extreme temperatures,
drought, cyclones, flooding, and storm surge. In recent years, the country
has experienced an increase in the number of extreme weather events such as
floods and cyclones. These events have led to displacement of people, loss of
property, and even fatalities. – Microsoft BING Copilot *** ARCHIVES *** The
World Factbook – Burma U.S. Central Intelligence Agency CIA www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html [accessed 10
November 2020] World Factbook
website has moved to ---> www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burma/ [accessed 5 January 2021] Despite
these improvements, living standards have not improved for the majority of
the people residing in rural areas. Burma remains one of the poorest
countries in Asia – approximately 26% of the country’s 51 million people live
in poverty. The isolationist policies and economic mismanagement of previous
governments have left Burma with poor infrastructure, endemic corruption,
underdeveloped human resources, and inadequate access to capital, which will
require a major commitment to reverse. The Burmese Government has been slow
to address impediments to economic development such as unclear land rights, a
restrictive trade licensing system, an opaque revenue collection system, and
an antiquated banking system. GDP -
per capita (PPP): $6,300 (2017
est.) Labor
force - by occupation: agriculture:
70% industry:
7% services: 23% (2001 est.) Unemployment
rate: 4% (2017
est.) Population
below poverty line: 25.6% (2016
est.) Maternal
mortality rate: 250
deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) Infant
mortality rate: total: 31.7
deaths/1,000 live births Life
expectancy at birth: total population: 69.3 years Drinking
water source: improved: total: 81.8% of
population Physicians
density: 0.86 physicians/1,000 population (2017) Sanitation
facility access: improved: total: 73.7% of
population Electricity
access: electrification - total population: 57% (2016) The
Borgen Project - Myanmar borgenproject.org/category/myanmar/ [accessed 23 January 2021] The Borgen Project works with U.S. leaders to utilize the
United States’ platform behind efforts toward improving living conditions for
the world’s poor. It is an innovative,
national campaign that is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign
policy. It believes that leaders of
the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global
poverty. From ending segregation to providing women with the right to vote,
nearly every wrong ever righted in history was achieved through advocacy. The
Borgen Project addresses the big picture, operating
at the political level advancing policies and programs that improve living
conditions for those living on less than $1 per day. ~
Hope For The Epidemic Of Tobacco In Myanmar borgenproject.org/tobacco-in-myanmar/ ~
Mobilizing Myanmar: How Mobile Banking Is Helping Solve Global Poverty borgenproject.org/mobile-banking/ ~
5 Advancements In Agricultural Technology borgenproject.org/advancements-in-agricultural-technology/ ~
Standing With Orphans Supports Orphanages In Myanmar borgenproject.org/standing-with-orphans-supports-orphanages-in-myanmar/ ~
3 Organizations Improving Living Conditions In Myanmar borgenproject.org/living-conditions-in-myanmar/ ~
Raised Expectations: Gender Roles In Myanmar borgenproject.org/raised-expectations-gender-roles-in-myanmar/ ~
5 Facts About Poverty In Myanmar borgenproject.org/5-facts-about-poverty-in-myanmar/ WFP step up
operations in response to fast rising hunger in Myanmar U.N. World Food
Program WFP, Yangon, 22 April 2021 www.wfp.org/news/wfp-step-operations-response-fast-rising-hunger-myanmar reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/wfp-step-operations-response-fast-rising-hunger-myanmar [accessed 22 April
2021] “More
and more poor people have lost their jobs and are unable to afford food,”
said WFP Myanmar Country Director Stephen Anderson. “A concerted response is
required now to alleviate immediate suffering, and to prevent an alarming
deterioration in food security.” Already,
there are signs of families in and around Yangon being pushed to the edge,
skipping meals, eating less nutritious food and going into debt, just to
survive. The
latest WFP market monitoring shows that in Yangon and across the country, the
average rice price has increased by 5% since January, and the average cooking
oil price has increased by 18% since February. In Yangon, an up to 25%
increase in cooking oil price was also recorded. The increases are
particularly high in some border states including Rakhine, Kachin and Chin.
In Kachin state, for example, rice prices have risen by up to 43% in some
townships, and cooking oil by 32%. The price of fuel has increased by roughly
30% nationwide. Hunger Worsens in
Myanmar due to Deteriorating Political Situation Phoebe Sleet,
Research Analyst, Global Food and Water Crises Research Programme,
17 March 2021 [accessed 17 March
2021] The
economic shutdown has the potential to be particularly difficult for Myanmar,
as one of the least-developed countries in the world and the least developed
ASEAN country. While there has been a modest decline in poverty since the
2000s, around one-third of the population is poor, with poverty especially
severe in rural areas. Even among those who are not currently impoverished, a
significant number remain close to the poverty line – around another third of
the country is within 50 per cent of the poverty line, putting them at high
risk of falling into poverty if they experience any unanticipated shocks. The
COVID-19 pandemic has already caused high rates of job and income losses,
especially in urban areas. As a result, households have reported worsening
levels of poverty and food insecurity since the start of the pandemic. Action
Against Hunger - Myanmar www.actionagainsthunger.org/countries/asia/myanmar [accessed 21 March 2021] The
humanitarian situation in Myanmar is characterized by a complex combination
of vulnerability to natural disasters, food and nutrition insecurity, armed
conflict, inter-communal tensions, displacement, trafficking and risky
migration. The situation is compounded by chronic poverty and underlying
structural inequalities and discrimination based on gender, disability,
ethnicity and religion. According to the 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview,
more than 985,000 people in Myanmar need humanitarian assistance. Of these,
864,000 people are experiencing critical problems related to physical and
mental wellbeing. The World Bank in
Myanmar www.worldbank.org/en/country/myanmar/overview [accessed 21 April
2021] The
World Bank has been working with partners in support of reforms that will
benefit all of the people of Myanmar, including the poor and vulnerable. Looking
back a few years … Advameg, Inc., Encyclopedia of the Nations www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Myanmar-ECONOMY.html [accessed 17 December 2020] Infrastructure
is a major impediment to economic growth. Water treatment and distribution,
sewage disposal, and irrigation systems, as well as power transmission and
distribution, require up-grading. Industry faces chronic shortages of
electricity. Roads are poor and many are not passable during parts of the
year. Telephone facilities are lacking; in 1993 there were only 100,000
telephone lines for the entire country. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT
COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Prof. Martin
Patt, "Poverty - Myanmar", http://gvnet.com/poverty/Burma.htm,
[accessed <date>] |
