A fundamental dynamic of the current context is the country’s long and complex history of ethnic-based conflict. The 2014 census has indicated that Myanmar’s overall population is 51.4 million (BBC 2014), and the country is home to 135 officially designated ethnic communities, although that number is disputed and likely misrepresents the complex ethnic diversity in the country. The majority ethnic group is the Burmans, with approximately 68 percent of the population. Other major ethnic groups include the Shan (9 percent), Karen(7 percent), Rakhine (4 percent), Mon (2 percent), and Kachin (1.5 percent). Many of these non-Burman groups live in outlying states that border neighbors Bangladesh, India, China, and Thailand; speak their own languages; and have cultural practices distinct from the Burmans. Theravada Buddhism is the religion of the Burman ethnic majority and of many non-Burmans, and is practiced by about 89 percent of the overall population. Some ethnic minority groups, including the Karen, Kachin, and Chin, have sizeable or even majority Christian populations; the overall percentage of Christians in the population is 4 percent (mostly Baptist).