Myanmar's Economy

Almost three quarters of Myanmar's population either grows or processes crops, with roughly only ten percent of of population working in the industrial sector. Myanmar is considered an agricultural country and before World War II, it had been the world's top exporter of rice.  Since the population increased after the war, it decreased the amount of surplus rice on hand for export.

Although there aren't many visitors to Myanmar (in 1996, there were about 185,000), tourism is the leading resource of foreign exchange.  The government had tried to improve the economy by pushing socialism and nationalizing most of the industries, but it was on the whole unsuccessful in its efforts.  In the early 90's, the government tried a different approach, accepting foreign investments, but again, it is not very successful.  The most successful economy in Myanmar is the black market, which has little government interference.

Since the late 90's Myanmar's economy has worsened due to U.S. economic sanctions (due to a negative human rights record) and the widespread Asian economic problems.  These issues decreased the amount of foreign investment and increased inflation even more.