Yangon, Myanmar Population 2024

Yangon's 2024 population is now estimated at 5,709,680In 1950, the population of Yangon was 1,302,460Yangon has grown by 99,440 in the last year, which represents a 1.77% annual change.These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects. These estimates represent the Urban agglomeration of Yangon, which typically includes Yangon's population in addition to adjacent suburban areas.

Yangon is a city that is located in Myanmar. It is the capital city of the Yangon Region. It was formerly the capital city of the country through 2006. The city has a population of over 4.34 million, although estimates vary since the country does not have an official census and had not taken an estimated census since 1983. In 2014, this finally changed, and a census was taken by school teachers numbering in the 100,000s. The most recent census report can be found here. The metropolitan population is 7,360,703. The city limits in recent years have expanded, leading to a significant increase in population.

City Size and Population Density

The city of Yangon covers a surface area of 598.75 km² (231.18 sq mi). The population density comes to approximately 12,308 individuals living per square kilometer in the urban area of Yangon.

Yangon Demographics

Yangon has the largest population in all of Myanmar, and its population is very diverse. In fact, it is so diverse that ethnic groups have created their own communities for networking. It is the most ethnically diverse city in the country. Some of the largest ethnic groups include Indians, South Asian Burmese, and Chinese Burmese. Rakhine and Karen also reside in Yangon. The majority of the population are of Burman descent.

Just as it is diverse in ethnicities, there are also several religions that are practiced within the city. These include Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. The city’s property is the most expensive in the country, with very few able to afford the rent within the city center.

Yangon History

Yangon was founded during the 11th century with the name Dagon. The city got its start as a fishing village. It was later captured in 1755, which is when the name was changed and additional settlements were added. The city had to be rebuilt after it was destroyed by a fire in the 1800s.

The British took over the city during the Anglo-Burmese War of 1852. The city was then made into a commercial and political hub. The late 1800s saw significant growth in population, as well as developments including colleges and hospitals.

Leading up to the 20th century, the city had upgraded its infrastructure and public services to be on par with the city of London. The population heading into World War II was significantly diverse, with large numbers of Indians and South Asians. The city was named as the capital of the Union of Burma in 1948 and at that time, regained its independence. The names of cities and parks were changed to Burmese names following the city’s independence.

The city has also seen as its fair share of dark times over the years, including the death of protestors killed by the government and Cyclone Nargis, which destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure. Today, the city remains one of the most important commercial centers in the country. It is also a hub for industries including newspapers, advertising, movies and music, although all media content must be approved by government censors and the private sector is not allowed to broadcast on TV. Just in 2012, the Myanmar government abolished the censorship of private publications - after earning a position on a list by Reporters without Borders.

Yangon’s economy is boosted through trade, real estate, industry, media and tourism. The city is responsible for one-fifth of the national economy. Its economy represents 23% of the nation’s GDP. The city is a trading hub for a variety of merchandise, although this is affected by its subpar banking industry and communications infrastructure.

Manufacturing provides many of the jobs to residents of the city. Tourism also contributes greatly to the economy, with about 300,000 to 400,000 visitors coming to the city each year.

Yangon Population Growth

It is difficult to know the exact numbers when it comes to the population of Yangon, but one thing that is known is that the expansion of its city limits over the past few decades have led to significant growth. Historical population figures show that the population hit half a million in 1941 before climbing 160% to over one million less than 10 years later. Each decade after saw significant population growth, ranging from 22.2% to 22.4% annually. The population is expected to surpass 5.3 million in 2020 before climbing to 5.9 million in 2025.

Country
Myanmar
Growth Rate
1.77%

86 Rows

Year
Population
20357,039,200
20346,904,350
20336,771,720
20326,641,440
20316,513,850
20306,388,890
20296,266,840
20286,147,910
20276,032,510
20265,920,850
20255,813,190
20245,709,680
20235,610,240
20225,514,450
20215,421,810
20205,331,800
20195,243,990
20185,157,460
20175,053,340
20164,951,320
20154,851,360
20144,753,420
20134,657,460
20124,563,560
20114,471,310
20104,381,040
20094,292,600
20084,206,050
20074,121,020
20064,037,830
20053,956,310
20043,876,550
20033,798,180
20023,721,500
20013,646,370
20003,572,860
19993,500,630
19983,429,960
19973,360,720
19963,292,960
19953,226,390
19943,161,260
19933,097,440
19923,034,990
19912,973,640
19902,913,600
19892,854,780
19882,797,230
19872,740,680
19862,685,350
19852,631,140
19842,578,090
19832,525,980
19822,475,590
19812,426,400
19802,378,260
19792,330,950
19782,284,640
19772,239,250
19762,194,820
19752,151,150
19742,108,420
19732,066,520
19722,025,520
19711,985,220
19701,945,770
19691,907,110
19681,869,270
19671,832,070
19661,795,670
19651,759,990
19641,725,070
19631,690,740
19621,657,150
19611,624,220
19601,591,990
19591,560,320
19581,529,310
19571,498,920
19561,469,180
19551,439,950
19541,411,340
19531,383,290
19521,355,840
19511,328,870
19501,302,460

86 Rows

Year
Population
Change
Growth
19501,302,4600%0
19511,328,8702.03%26,410
19521,355,8402.03%26,970
19531,383,2902.02%27,450
19541,411,3402.03%28,050
19551,439,9502.03%28,610
19561,469,1802.03%29,230
19571,498,9202.02%29,740
19581,529,3102.03%30,390
19591,560,3202.03%31,010
19601,591,9902.03%31,670
19611,624,2202.02%32,230
19621,657,1502.03%32,930
19631,690,7402.03%33,590
19641,725,0702.03%34,330
19651,759,9902.02%34,920
19661,795,6702.03%35,680
19671,832,0702.03%36,400
19681,869,2702.03%37,200
19691,907,1102.02%37,840
19701,945,7702.03%38,660
19711,985,2202.03%39,450
19722,025,5202.03%40,300
19732,066,5202.02%41,000
19742,108,4202.03%41,900
19752,151,1502.03%42,730
19762,194,8202.03%43,670
19772,239,2502.02%44,430
19782,284,6402.03%45,390
19792,330,9502.03%46,310
19802,378,2602.03%47,310
19812,426,4002.02%48,140
19822,475,5902.03%49,190
19832,525,9802.04%50,390
19842,578,0902.06%52,110
19852,631,1402.06%53,050
19862,685,3502.06%54,210
19872,740,6802.06%55,330
19882,797,2302.06%56,550
19892,854,7802.06%57,550
19902,913,6002.06%58,820
19912,973,6402.06%60,040
19923,034,9902.06%61,350
19933,097,4402.06%62,450
19943,161,2602.06%63,820
19953,226,3902.06%65,130
19963,292,9602.06%66,570
19973,360,7202.06%67,760
19983,429,9602.06%69,240
19993,500,6302.06%70,670
20003,572,8602.06%72,230
20013,646,3702.06%73,510
20023,721,5002.06%75,130
20033,798,1802.06%76,680
20043,876,5502.06%78,370
20053,956,3102.06%79,760
20064,037,8302.06%81,520
20074,121,0202.06%83,190
20084,206,0502.06%85,030
20094,292,6002.06%86,550
20104,381,0402.06%88,440
20114,471,3102.06%90,270
20124,563,5602.06%92,250
20134,657,4602.06%93,900
20144,753,4202.06%95,960
20154,851,3602.06%97,940
20164,951,3202.06%99,960
20175,053,3402.06%102,020
20185,157,4602.06%104,120
20195,243,9901.68%86,530
20205,331,8001.67%87,810
20215,421,8101.69%90,010
20225,514,4501.71%92,640
20235,610,2401.74%95,790
20245,709,6801.77%99,440
20255,813,1901.81%103,510
20265,920,8501.85%107,660
20276,032,5101.89%111,660
20286,147,9101.91%115,400
20296,266,8401.93%118,930
20306,388,8901.95%122,050
20316,513,8501.96%124,960
20326,641,4401.96%127,590
20336,771,7201.96%130,280
20346,904,3501.96%132,630
20357,039,2001.95%134,850

Yangon Population Data (Urban Area)

Name
2024 Pop.
2024 Growth
Yangon5,709,6801.77%
Mandalay1,563,0202.03%
Nay Pyi Taw757,8234.84%

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