Myanmar’s countryside is emptying and its cities bursting (The Economist)

The Economist reported on the impact of domestic migration on urban and rural economies in Myanmar. The article described how the influx of migrants after a 2008 cyclone has spurred economic growth and the expansion of slums in urban, industrial areas and simultaneous changes to village life and agriculture as primarily working-age residents have left. To illustrate these changes, the author cited a study by Senior Research Fellow Xiaobo Zhang on the increased use of automation on southern Myanmar’s farms, including an increase in the share of farms using machines to harvest from 10% in 2011 to 54% in 2016.