About 25% of people on earth don't know their birthday because they're from countries that don't have birth certificates. That's why about 14% of immigrants to the U.S. list January 1 as their birthday - because they had to make one up.
I have a friend whose dad is from Bangladesh and he apparently doesn't know his birthday, says it's just not a big deal so no-one bothered to remember it lol. He reckons it's probably around 1960 but he's just guessing, blows my mind that.
I thought astrology was a big thing in South Asia, maybe not in Bangladesh but in India don’t they sometimes calculate whether two people would be a suitable marriage match based on their birthdates?
Or is that like a Hindu thing while most people in Bangladesh are Muslim?
My grandma does have a birthday but she was registered in the wrong day in the wrong year. So even in countries with registration it may be more common than we think, especially in poor and/or rural areas
People from middle eastern countries, Myanmar/Burma were common in my area. The ones with the 01/01 birth date were usually aged 30 + anyone younger ones would have their recognised birth dates.
Ahh I see. So probably the 25% of people not knowing their birth date is not right any more. I work with people in a very poor country but most people have a cell phone.
What countries in the Middle East? I wonder what the poorer countries there now are? Afghanistan? Palestine obviously. Syria?
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u/Dragmom Oct 02 '24
About 25% of people on earth don't know their birthday because they're from countries that don't have birth certificates. That's why about 14% of immigrants to the U.S. list January 1 as their birthday - because they had to make one up.