Tap water in Myanmar (Burma)

Not safe to drink

This reflects the CDC's travel health guidance for Myanmar (Burma); no WHO coverage figure is published for this country. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally not safe to drink in Myanmar (Burma).

Numbeo

32.84/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “Low”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

Never drink tap water. Check bottled water seals are intact at purchase. Avoid ice. Avoid fresh juices – they may have been watered down. Boiling water is the most efficient method of purifying. Iodine, the best chemical purifier, should not be used by pregnant women or those who suffer with thyroid problems. Ensure your water filter has a chemical barrier, such as iodine, and a pore size of less than four microns.

This is a national picture, and it varies. Some cities treat their water to a standard the country as a whole does not reach. Where the water is not safe, boiling, filtering or sealed bottles are the usual options, and ice and raw salad washed in tap water carry the same risk as the water itself.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 380$ a year in Myanmar (Burma), and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Places in Myanmar (Burma)

Water quality is local. These places have their own readings.

Elsewhere in Asia