Irreligion in Myanmar

Irreligion in Myanmar is uncommon and considered a social taboo, making it difficult to quantify the number of atheists and agnostics in Myanmar. Theravada Buddhism is part of daily life for the majority of the country's residents; disbelief or being openly irreligious carries a significant amount of stigma.[1][2] Myanmar's government does not officially recognize atheism, agnosticism, or irreligion as religious beliefs, which citizens are required to list on their national identity cards.[2][3] Groups for atheists within Myanmar have grown significantly in recent years, such as the Burmese Atheists Association and the "Myanmar Atheists" group on Facebook with around 29,000 members.[4][5]

Of the 32,183,599 people surveyed in Myanmar's 2024 census, only 3,068 listed no religion.[6] In 2014, 0.1% of Myanmar's population was non-religious.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Buddhism Case Study – Violence & Peace". rpl.hds.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b Hindstorm, Hanna. "Changing Myanmar's hidden atheists". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Myanmar Country Profile on Freedom of Religion or Belief" (PDF). peacemakersnetwork.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Interview with Thiha, a lifelong anarchist thinker from Burma". libcom.org. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  5. ^ Kyaw, Hein. "Atheism in Burma". thehuman.team. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  6. ^ "THE REPUBLIC OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR The 2024 Myanmar Population and Housing Census" (PDF). dop.gov.mm. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  7. ^ "The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census – The Union Report: Religion – Census Report Volume 2-C [EN/MY]". reliefweb.int. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
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