Fertility rates are substantially lower than neighbouring South East Asian countries, slightly above replacement level at 2.3 children per woman. This stems from late average age of marriage, the presence of illegal abortions, and high celibacy linked to Buddhist values for spiritual development. The declining birth rate is evident in the population age structure as cohort sizes have correspondingly decreased over the past decade.
This is a positive trend for Myanmar’s development as it reflects a strong labour force and relatively low proportion of dependent minors which will pay a ‘demographic dividend’ in coming years.