Census data that rights groups fear may lead to problems for Myanmar’s Muslim population is set to be released later this month, the Anadolu Agency reported on 12 July.
A government official told the Agency that the region-by-region breakdown of religion in the country from a Population and Housing Census conducted in 2014 will be available on July 21.
The release date for census data on ethnicity has yet to be decided according to the report quoting Mya Kyaing, the Labour, Immigration and Population Ministry’s permanent secretary.
The release of ethnicity data in a country of 135 distinct recognized ethnic groups is troublesome, with Mya Kyaing previously calling it “more complicated than any other issues in the country” according to the report.
The 2014 census was the first in 30 years in Myanmar.