In the 1980s, the economy began to grow as the government relaxed restrictions on foreign aid, but by the late 1980s falling commodity prices and rising debt led to an economic crisis.
Pada era 1980-an, ekonomi Birma mulai tumbuh setelah pemerintah melonggarkan pembatasan-pembatasan terhadap bantuan asing, namun pada penghujung era 1980-an, jatuhnya harga-harga komoditas dan peningkatan jumlah utang menimbulkan krisis ekonomi.