Myanmar (Burma): country facts, travel advice and health

Grab: book rides and pay by card instead of cash.Way Way Nay: shows which businesses are tied to the military, so they can be avoided.Viber: the messaging app most locals rely on.VPN: needed to reach blocked services such as Facebook and WhatsApp.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 1 of 5: Almost everything is paid in cash.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar Kyat · K · MMK

Bring only crisp, unfolded dollar notes; marked or creased ones get refused.

Avoid US$100 bills with a serial number starting with CB.

Tip in cash, straight to the person who served you; card tips rarely reach staff.

Change leftover kyat back at Yangon Airport before flying out; it is nearly worthless abroad.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Myanmar Kyat in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

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Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Myanmar (Burma) say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

Travel warning

Calm

Caution

Serious

Don’t go ●

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Do not travel

Calm

Caution

Serious

Don’t go ●

Level 4 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 7 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

Advises against all travel to parts of the country

Some regions differ, see the official page.

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 4 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Gem and gold sellers

Turn down street offers of stones or gold; buy only from licensed dealers.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Fake jobs leading to scam compounds

Be wary of unusually generous job offers in the region; check the employer independently.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Distraction theft

Keep a hand on your bag when strangers stop you with questions, sales pitches or a bump.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Bogus business loan emails

Ignore emails from supposed British firms asking for loans, even if they name the embassy.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

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Health

Hep A and B, typhoid advised; yellow fever certificate if from a risk country. Malaria and altitude in parts.

Vaccinations

Keep routine shots up to date; hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid are advised, with Japanese encephalitis, rabies and cholera worth discussing for rural or longer trips. A yellow fever certificate is required if arriving from a risk country.

Malaria

In some regions

Altitude

Some upland parts of the country are high enough to cause altitude sickness.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Yangon

Commercial hub of gilded pagodas and British-era buildings

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

Myanmar once issued a 75-kyat banknote, launched on the dictator's 75th birthday.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Kaba Ma Kyei. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

2 World Heritage sites in Myanmar (Burma), each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

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Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $81.7 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $1,489Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	garments, natural gas, dried legumes, rare-earth metal compounds, precious stones (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	54.9 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	31.1 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	70.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Buddhist 87.9%, Christian 6.2%, Muslim 4.3%, Animist 0.8%, Hindu 0.5%, other 0.2%, none 0.1% (2014 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2014 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	676,578 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlandsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	military regimeSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+95Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).