This photo taken on Dec. 31, 2024 shows an urban view of Yangon, Myanmar. The provisional results of Myanmar's 2024 population and housing census show a total population of 51,316,756 on census night, Sept. 30, 2024, according to a recent statement released by the Department of Population under the Ministry of Immigration and Population. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)

The provisional results of Myanmar's 2024 population and housing census show a total population of 51,316,756 on census night, Sept. 30, 2024, according to a recent statement released by the Department of Population under the Ministry of Immigration and Population.

The figure includes 32,191,407 individuals directly enumerated and an additional 19,125,349 estimated using remote sensing technology for areas where enumeration was not possible, the statement said.

These figures will serve as a reference until the final census report is published, it added.

The provisional results indicate that, including the estimated population of unenumerated areas, 31 percent of Myanmar's population resides in urban areas, while 69 percent lives in rural areas, it said.

Yangon region has the highest proportion of urban residents at 68 percent, followed by Kachin State, Mon State, and Nay Pyi Taw, each with 35 percent of their population living in urban areas, it added.

The census night was set for Sept. 30, 2024, with the enumeration process conducted from Oct. 1 to 15, it said.

However, due to transportation challenges and security concerns, the enumeration period was extended in certain areas until the second week of December, it added.

The 2024 population and housing census was conducted using mobile tablets equipped with the computer-assisted personal interviewing system, eliminating the need for paper questionnaires, it said.

This digital approach enabled real-time data transmission to a central server, it added.

Since gaining independence, Myanmar has conducted nationwide censuses in 1973, 1983 and 2014, according to the department.

People visit the bank of Inya Lake in Yangon, Myanmar, Dec. 31, 2024. The provisional results of Myanmar's 2024 population and housing census show a total population of 51,316,756 on census night, Sept. 30, 2024, according to a recent statement released by the Department of Population under the Ministry of Immigration and Population. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)

People visit the bank of Inya Lake in Yangon, Myanmar, Dec. 31, 2024. The provisional results of Myanmar's 2024 population and housing census show a total population of 51,316,756 on census night, Sept. 30, 2024, according to a recent statement released by the Department of Population under the Ministry of Immigration and Population. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)