How gold is priced in Myanmar
In Myanmar gold is priced per kyattha (tical), for pure 16 pe (ahkauk) gold and 15 pe jewellery gold. This page shows the world price in US dollars rather than kyat, because Myanmar has two very different exchange rates and gold is not priced at the official one. Multiply the dollar figure by the kyat rate you can actually get (see below) to compare it with a Yangon shop price.
Why this page uses US dollars: the two kyat rates
The Central Bank of Myanmar's official reference rate has stayed at 2,100 kyats per US dollar since 2022. The kyat people actually trade is much weaker: in mid-October 2026 The Irrawaddy reported the unofficial market rate at about 4,670 kyats per dollar and the interbank rate at 3,660. Gold in Myanmar is priced from the market value of the kyat, so a price converted at the official rate would come out at less than half of what shops charge. That is why the figures here stay in dollars.
To estimate a local price, multiply the dollar price per kyattha by the current market rate. Expect a further difference on top, because gold is scarce and in strong demand as a hedge against the kyat. The authorities have tried before to hold gold at the official rate: in April 2022 the Central Bank told the Yangon gold association to price gold at its then official rate, shops stopped selling and gold was smuggled to India, and within six weeks the association went back to a market rate.
Reference prices, price controls and tax
Each day the Mineral (Gold) Reference Price Determination Committee sets a reference price, which the Yangon Region Gold Entrepreneurs Association (YGEA) announces and shops are told to trade at. According to the YGEA (February 2025), it is calculated from the world price and an exchange rate set by the Central Bank, plus a 7% margin. In practice it has sat well below street prices: in January 2026 Myanmar Now reported the street price about 3 million kyats per kyattha above the committee's price, and that price controls and inspections had led some shops to offer pawn services instead of selling gold.
Selling above the reference price is enforced. In July 2025 ten gold traders in Yangon and Mandalay were jailed for six months under the Essential Supplies and Services Act, and in February 2026 state media reported the arrest of three leaders of the Yangon Region Precious Metal (Gold) Dealers Association for buying and storing gold above the reference price. In October 2026 the Ministry of Commerce said it would not issue e-commerce registrations for selling gold online. Separately, a 3% commercial tax applies to imports and sales of pure gold (standard bars, blocks and coins) and gold jewellery under the 2026 Union Taxation Law; bullion was exempt until October 2024.
Kyattha, pe and buying tips
Purity is counted in pe: a kyattha is divided into 16 pe, so 16 pe (ahkauk) gold is pure and 15 pe gold is 15/16 pure, or 93.75%. Daily price lists quote both, with 15 pe priced below ahkauk. Weight matters as much as purity. The official kyattha is 16.3293 grams, but the gold trade long used about 16.6 grams; in February 2025 the reference price committee set the trade kyattha at 16.3293 g and the Academy refinery began making one-kyattha bars at that weight. Ask which weight a price refers to, have pieces weighed in grams, and get a receipt showing weight and pe. Myanmar has no national hallmarking scheme for gold jewellery, though the YGEA has announced plans for a testing laboratory.
Tax and duty information last reviewed October 2026. Rules change — confirm with your dealer or tax authority before a large purchase.