Census takers guarded by police and soldiers took to the streets of Myanmar on Wednesday for a national survey that anti-junta groups have urged people to boycott. The ruling junta is pressing ahead with the census even though it has lost control of large areas of the Southeast Asian country to armed groups opposed to its rule.

Myanmar's military government conducts census for voter lists amid civil war, facing resistance from pro-democracy groups and armed militias.

Critics argue that the information gathered could be used to monitor and target opponents of the junta, as well as bolster conscription efforts, following the military’s struggles against pro-democrac

A statement was published ahead of a census that is difficult to carry out because of the fighting; it is supposed to prepare for the November 2025 elections, designed by the junta to exclude any participation by the democratic opposition.

A nationwide census has been launched by Myanmar’s military government, which says it will be used to compile voter lists for a general election promised for next year, even though much of the country

On Tuesday, Myanmar’s ruling junta officially launched a census aimed at creating election rolls for a promised vote next year.