Under the government of U Nu (overthrown in 1962), Buddhism was the state religion. Since then the government has been controlled by authoritarian military regimes which have generally placed restrictions on religious freedom. Though the most recent constitution (1974) guarantees religious freedom, the government shows a preference for Theravada Buddhism, which according to government statistics is practiced by about 90% of the population. A number of adherents combine their practice with traditional practices such as astrology, numerology, fortune-telling, and the veneration of pre-Buddhist deities called nats.

The Chinese in Myanmar practice a traditional mixture of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and ancestor worship; the Indians are Hindus; the Pakistanis are Muslims; and most of the Europeans are Christians. Although Christian missionaries had some success with peoples of the hill areas—the Karens, Kayahs, Kachins, and Chins—conversion among the Burmans and the Shans was negligible. About 4% of the population are Christian, with Baptists, Catholics, and Anglicans being the primary denominations. About 4% of the population are Muslim, mostly Sunni.

People

Myanmar's (Burma) population is estimated at over 47 million, with the population density being 70 persons per sq km.  Roughly three quarters of the population are rural inhabitants, with the remaining population living in urban Yangon, Mandalay and Moulmein.  About two thirds of Myanmar's population are Burman (ethnically close to Tibetans and Chinese) with other minorities making up the other third. 

Of the minorities, the Karen and the Shan groups which together make up less than ten percent of Myanmar's population are considered to be the two most important ones.  With the British occupation, most of the ethnic minorities were kept separate within their borderlands, thus enabling them to maintain their traditions.  Since Burman rule, these minorities, especially the Karen with occasional help from Shan political groups and the Kachin have rebelled by using arms.