Several political parties are criticizing a question in the upcoming national census, which asks respondents about the “primary language spoken at home.” They argue that the military junta’s inclusion of this question is a deliberate attempt to diminish the recorded population of ethnic minorities.
The junta announced that it will conduct the nationwide census from October 1 to October 15, 2024. Unlike previous censuses, where “ethnicity” was listed as a category, the question has been replaced with “primary language spoken at home,” raising concerns among ethnic political parties and activists.
A member of the Mon Progressive Party shared concerns about the change: “In the past, people would declare their ethnicity, whether Mon, Burmese, or a mix of both. Now, by focusing on the language spoken at home, it seems like they are trying to inflate the Burmese population and reduce the visibility of ethnic minorities. Many Mon people now speak Burmese, whether they live in villages or towns, so this could result in them being counted as Burmese. This change is not appropriate. We want the original ‘ethnicity’ category to remain in place.”
Ethnic political parties and language activists have voiced similar objections, accusing the military junta of using the census to advance an agenda of “Burmanization” and marginalize ethnic groups.
Mann Aung Pyi Soe, chairperson of the Karen National Democratic Party, said, “This is a real issue. By replacing ‘ethnicity’ with ‘language spoken at home,’ they are imposing a majoritarian agenda on ethnic minorities, which could lead to their erasure.”
The 2024 census will include 25 questions, four more than the previous census conducted in 2014. The additional questions cover internal and international migration status and whether individuals have official birth registration. The change in the ethnicity question, along with these new additions, has sparked widespread concern.
According to the 2014 census, Myanmar had a population of over 51 million. Critics of the upcoming census fear that the shift in focus could skew the representation of ethnic groups across the country.
