Nighttime Lights in Myanmar

Nighttime Lights in Myanmar#

This notebook has been prepared for the Myanmar Economic Monitor and it uses data from the NASA VIIRS BlackMarble dataset available from 2012 through September 2026. The 2026 figures cover January–September as the October data are unavailable yet.

Sections:

  1. National Nighttime Lights Trends

    • 1.1 Annual Trends in Nightlights

    • 1.2 Year-to-Date Trends in Nightlights

    • 1.3 Full-Year and Year-to-Date % Change in Nightlights

    • 1.4 Monthly Trends in Nightlights

  2. Nightlights in Industrial Areas

    • 2.1 Year-to-Date Trends in Industrial vs Non-Industrial Areas

    • 2.2 Full-Year and Year-to-Date % Change in Industrial vs Non-Industrial Areas

    • 2.3 Monthly Trends in Industrial Areas

  3. Nightlights in Regions

    • 3.1 Year-to-Date % Change in Nightlights in Regions

    • 3.2 Year-to-Date % Change in Regional Industrial Nightlights

    • 3.3 Year-to-Date % Change in Regional Non-Industrial Nightlights

    • 3.4 Monthly Trends in Regional and Industrial Nightlights

    • 3.5 Regional Contributions of National Nightlights

    • 3.6 Regional Nightlights Compared to National Total

    • 3.7 Regional Contributions to National Change

    • 3.8 Monthly Contributions to National Change by Region

2. Nightlights in Industrial Areas#

There are 97 industrial zones in Myanmar classified as Special Economic Zones. The majority are in Yangon. The analysis for nightlights in industrial zones is done by assuming a 5km buffer zone around the points.

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2.2 Full-Year and Year-to-Date % Change in Industrial vs Non-Industrial Areas#

Overall, in 2025, there a 2.3% reduction in nightlights in industrial areas and 11.2% reduction in non industrial areas compared to 2024. January–September 2026 radiance exceeded the same period in both 2024 and 2025, 24.2% and 37.8% respectively, for industrial and non-industrial areas.

3. Nightlights in Regions#

3.1 Year-to-Date % Change in Nightlights in Regions#

The panels compare January–September 2026 (YTD) radiance with the same months in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

3.2 Year-to-Date % Change in Regional Industrial Nightlights#

The panels compare industrial-area radiance for January–September 2026 (YTD) with the same months in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

3.3 Year-to-Date % Change in Regional Non-Industrial Nightlights#

The panels compare non-industrial-area radiance for January–September 2026 (YTD) with the same months in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

3.5 Regional Contributions of National Nightlights#

The following charts show regional nightlight totals and shares of national nightlights from 2023 to 2026. The stacked bar chart presents January–September totals for each year, while the area chart displays monthly values.

3.6 Regional Nightlights Compared to National Total#

Each panel shows the region in blue against the national total in gray, on a common scale. Panels are ordered by each region’s January–September 2026 nightlights total, from largest to smallest.

3.7 Regional Contributions to National Change#

Each bar is the change in a region’s nightlights divided by national nightlights in the baseline year, expressed in percentage points. The bars sum to the national percentage change and each comparison uses January–September period.

3.8 Monthly Contributions to National Change by Region#

Each cell shows the change in a region’s monthly radiance compared with the selected baseline year, divided by national radiance in that baseline month, expressed in percentage points. Contributions add up to the national percentage change shown above. Select a baseline year and hover for regional details.

Contents