The population of Myanmar (2001 estimate) is 41,994,678. The overall population density is 62 persons per sq km (161 per sq mi), one of the lowest in East Asia. The population is 73 percent rural, with almost half the urban population found in the three largest cities: Yangon, Mandalay, and Moulmein.

Several indigenous languages—as distinct from mere dialects—are spoken in Myanmar. The official language is Burmese, spoken by the people of both the plains and the hills. These languages belong to three language families. The Burmese language itself, and most of the other languages, belong to the Tibeto-Burman subfamily of the Sino-Tibetan family. The Shan language belongs to the Tai family. Languages spoken by the Mon of southern Myanmar and by the Wa and Palaung of the Shan Plateau are members of the Mon-Khmer subfamily of the Austro-Asiatic family. Until colonial times, only Pyu, Burmese, Mon, and Shan were written; writing systems for Karen, Kachin, and Chin were developed later. The Burmese spoken in Arakan state and Tenasserim (Taninthary) division suggests that it has preserved the language's ancient pronunciations. For the majority of the hill peoples, Burmese is a second language.