Myanmar before 2021 was far from perfect, but a majority of the country’s people enjoyed safety, stability and economic opportunity as the benefits of growing foreign investment under the democratically elected government began to be felt.
Enjoying improved living conditions and unprecedented freedom, they were hopeful of more prosperous times ahead.
But the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, turned everything upside down.
Now, the country faces a humanitarian disaster, with millions displaced, thousands jailed and the economy in ruins due to the junta’s mismanagement and political oppression.
The resistance continues to fight back against the military dictatorship, but ordinary civilians struggle to survive.
This Saturday marks the fourth anniversary of the military coup.
The country, which was experiencing economic growth and the promise of political stability under a civilian-led, democratic government, has become a battleground, with millions suffering the consequences.
Below is a stark account of how the country and the lives of its people have changed in every sector, comparing conditions in 2020—immediately before the coup—with those four years after the takeover, as of Jan. 31.
The end of democratic civilian rule
The junta’s coup on Feb. 1, 2021, which brought the arrest of all civilian government leaders including State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and others, ended democratic civilian rule in Myanmar.
Since then, the country has been governed by a regime led by military chief Min Aung Hlaing and his associates, who have presided over a period of devastation and brutality against their own people.
Arbitrary killing of civilians
There were no brazen killings of civilians by the military before the coup in 2020. Since then, however, the regime has openly killed a total of 6,224 people including 711 children and 1,387 women.
An increase in political prisoners
The number of political prisoners has surged from 234 before the coup to 21,711 as of Jan. 30, 2025. Elected government leaders, activists, journalists, artists, writers and civilians have been jailed for opposing the regime.
Political executions
Ending a period dating back to 1976 in which there had been no political executions, in 2022 the junta hanged four anti-regime activists—veteran 88 Generation pro-democracy activist Ko Jimmy (Kyaw Min Yu); former National League for Democracy lawmaker and hip-hop star Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw; and anti-coup protesters Ko Hla Myo Aung and Ko Aung Thura Zaw—for their anti-regime activities following the military coup.
Airstrikes
Only a few airstrikes in ethnic rebel-controlled areas were reported before 2021, but since the coup, the regime has carried out at least 3,292 airstrikes, mostly on civilian targets, killing 1,749 people.
Arson attacks
Prior to the coup, with the exception of the crackdown operation on Rohingya in Rakhine State, western Myanmar, there were no major arson attacks by the military. Since the takeover, a total of 102,596 houses in villages, towns and cities have been burned by junta troops, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
Displaced people
Before the coup, Myanmar had around 370,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), including Rohingya and others in ethnic areas, due to fighting between military and ethnic revolutionary groups. Four years on, the number has skyrocketed to 3.5 million, comprising mainly those displaced by the junta’s airstrikes and arson attacks, as well as fighting between the junta’s military and several resistance groups including long-established ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and newly formed People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) under the civilian National Unity Government (NUG).
Military control and resistance
Since the coup, the junta has lost 173 military battalion headquarters including two regional military commands, six command headquarters and six strategic military bases as well as 742 frontline outposts to the resistance.
As of Jan. 31, 2025, resistance forces and ethnic rebel armies have gained ground, taking full control of 144 townships and actively attacking the regime in another 79. The junta now fully controls only the remaining 107 townships—a significant decline.
Press Freedom Index
Myanmar has become one of the world’s worst countries in terms of the murdering or jailing of journalists. In 2020, Myanmar ranked 139th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. But it declined to 171st in 2024. Since the coup, the regime has killed a total of 12 journalists and jailed 43.
All independent local media outlets have either shut down or been forced into exile due to the junta’s crackdown on independent journalism.
Declining GDP
Under the civilian-led democratic government, Myanmar’s GDP had grown to US$77.8 billion by 2020. Under the military, however, the country’s GDP dropped to $64.28 billion by 2024.
Economic collapse and inflation
The cost of living has soared due to inflation, economic mismanagement by the regime, and war. The dollar exchange rate surged from 1,350 kyats per USD in 2020 to around 4,500 per USD in January 2025, further worsening inflation.
Meanwhile, the gold price jumped from 1,315,500 kyats per bar to 6,400,000 kyats. Fuel prices have also quadrupled: Octane 95 has increased from 770 to 3,200 kyats per liter.
A bag of top quality rice, a basic food staple, once cost only 54,000 kyats, but now costs 210,000 kyats.
Increased hunger
Prior to the military coup in 2021, only 2.8 million people (5.13%) out of a population of 54.58 million were considered “food insecure” in Myanmar. Now, however, 15 million people—27.49 percent of the population—are at risk of starvation due to food shortages, conflict, the crumbling economy and weather-related crises.
Worsening electricity shortages
Power outages have become more frequent since the coup in 2021. In January this year, the electricity supply dropped to eight hours a day even in the country’s commercial hub Yangon, crippling daily life and businesses. The junta said electricity generation has decreased by 1,009 megawatts, with daily generation of 2,200 MW, while supply has declined to about 50 percent of total production capacity.
Sources: AAPP, Data for Myanmar, Nyan Linn Thit Analytica, WFPA, UNOCHA, CPJ, NUG, Statista
Text by Nayt Thit; design by K Zin and Naung Naung
