A resource-rich country, Burma is strategically located in Southeast Asia with long borders with India and China and ports on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean. Burma’s economy continues to grapple with the lasting impacts of the military coup of February 2021. According to the World Bank, GDP for the 2023-2024 fiscal year grew by only 1%, reflecting continued macroeconomic fragility. The World Bank’s June 2025 Myanmar Economic Monitor forecasts a 2.5% contraction in GDP for FY 2025-2026 (April 1, 2025 – March 30, 2026), downgrading its earlier projection of 2% growth. GDP per capita currently stands at $1,120, underscoring deepening macroeconomic instability, exacerbated by ongoing conflict and recent natural disasters.
The 7.7‑magnitude earthquake in March 2025 further hurt the economy. The World Bank estimates the quake caused $10.97 billion in property and infrastructure damage, approximately 14% of FY 2024-2025 GDP. Reconstruction and relief efforts have strained public finances.
Continued exchange rate depreciation, inconsistent trade policies, and import license restrictions undermined investor confidence and job creation, leading to higher commodity prices. Additionally, frequent electricity outages have forced businesses to rely on costly diesel generators. Household incomes remain stagnant or declining, according to UN data. Business operations have also been hampered by internet and telecommunication suspensions across the country. Lack of political will to address these structural weaknesses and ongoing conflict mean Burma’s economic outlook for the near term remains bleak.
The United States suspended its bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Burma in March 2021 following the military coup. Burma maintains land border trade agreements with neighboring countries including Bangladesh, India, China, Laos, and Thailand. According to local businesses, approximately 80 percent of Burma’s trade in fiscal year 2022–2023 occurred via land border crossings. Intensified armed conflict between the military regime and opposition groups, however, continues to disrupt border trade by creating intermittent closures of major trade routes, strained cross-border logistics, and increased transportation costs for firms operating in or with Burma.
The U.S. State Department travel advisory for Burma is currently Level 4 (Do Not Travel). The latest travel advisory can be found at Burma International Travel Information.
U.S.–Burma Trade
According to the U.S. Census Bureau report, total goods trade between the United States and Burma continued to decline in 2024, totaling approximately $734 million, a significant drop from $1.03 billion in 2023 and $1.2 billion in 2022. In 2024, the United States imported $652.4 million in goods from Burma and exported $75.7 million to Burma. January to May 2025 data indicated total trade reaching $321 million, an 18% increase over the same period in 2024.
In response to the coup, the U.S. government has imposed a series of targeted sanctions, implemented export restrictions on jet fuel and specific aircraft supplies to Burma’s military, and has limited diplomatic engagement with the military regime. In April 2025, the United States announced its Liberation Day tariffs, initially imposing a 44% reciprocal duty on Burma exports, subsequently adjusted to 40% effective August 1, 2025. The tariffs cover a broad range of products, including apparel and manufactured goods, dominant components of bilateral trade. These developments pose additional challenges for Burma’s already strained export sector.
Detailed information is in the Customs and Regulations chapter.
Table 1: 2025 (as of July): U.S. trade in goods with Burma (Reference: United States Census Bureau)
Month | Exports | Imports | Balance |
January 2025 | 5.1 | 53.4 | -48.4 |
February 2025 | 6.3 | 45.2 | -38.9 |
March 2025 | 10.8 | 74.8 | -63.9 |
April 2025 | 5.6 | 57.7 | -52.1 |
May 2025 | 4.2 | 57.9 | -53.6 |
June 2025 | 4.0 | 49.7 | -45.7 |
July 2025 | 5.7 | 75.3 | -69.6 |
TOTAL 2025 (as of July) | 41.8 | 414 | -372.2 |
NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not equal totals due to rounding. Table reflects only those months for which there was trade.
Table 2: 2024: U.S. trade in goods with Burma (Reference: United States Census Bureau)
Month | Exports | Imports | Balance |
January 2024 | 9.0 | 47.9 | -38.9 |
February 2024 | 9.1 | 46.1 | -37.0 |
March 2024 | 13.3 | 49.5 | -36.2 |
April 2024 | 4.6 | 43.8 | -39.2 |
May 2024 | 3.1 | 45.6 | -42.5 |
June 2024 | 3.9 | 43.4 | -39.6 |
July 2024 | 7.9 | 46.1 | -38.2 |
August 2024 | 3.0 | 62.5 | -59.5 |
September 2024 | 7.3 | 67.5 | -60.2 |
October 2024 | 7.8 | 79.4 | -71.7 |
November 2024 | 1.7 | 61.6 | -59.9 |
December 2024 | 5.0 | 58.9 | -53.9 |
TOTAL 2024 | 75.7 | 652.4 | -576.6 |
NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not equal totals due to rounding. Table reflects only those months for which there was a trade.
Political Environment
Visit State Department’s website on Burma for the country’s political environment: https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/burma/.