“The announcement of mandatory military conscription in February 2024 has accelerated migration to rural areas and abroad, fueling reports of worker shortages in some industries,” the World Bank said.
The junta also lost access to some key land borders with China and Thailand, resulting in a sharp decline in overland trade.
“Except for natural gas, exports through land borders fell by 44 percent,” the World Bank said. “Imports through land borders fell by more than half, accounting for 71 percent of the total import decline.”
Overall, merchandise exports fell by 13 percent and imports by 20 percent in the six-month period through March 2024, compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the World Bank.