"Because the Government of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) considers the country under-populated, it has not adopted a family planning programme. However, recent data show that, while fertility remains high, there has been some decline since the mid-1970s. Since the mid-1950s, mortality has gradually declined, but the decline seems to have slowed down in recent years. This article concludes that it is necessary to slow population growth by controlling fertility in order to achieve economic and social development."