The United Nations and its humanitarian partners released a report on 10 January, warning that Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis will continue to deepen in 2026, with more than 16 million people, including five million children, expected to need urgent life-saving assistance as conflict, displacement and economic collapse persist.
Since the military take-over of 2021, the humanitarian situation has continued to worsen with each passing year marked by intensifying conflict, recurrent disasters, and steady economic collapse. Conflict and disasters have already displaced an estimated 3.6 million people.
Over the next year, the humanitarian community will focus efforts on reaching 4.9 million of the most vulnerable people – a steep contraction from the 6.7 million people targeted in 2025.
“Behind every number is a person trying to survive a crisis they did not choose,” said Ms Gwyn Lewis, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. in Myanmar. “The world’s attention is stretched, but the needs in Myanmar continue to rise and the people deserve to be heard and seen.”
The highly-prioritized response set out in HNRP is estimated to cost US$890 million, down from a 1.4 billion ask in 2025. This reduction reflects the reality of a global funding crisis, which has forced a much narrower focus on those facing the most severe challenges and life-threatening conditions.
Often left out of the global headlines, Myanmar remains one of the world’s most dire and yet under-funded humanitarian crises. Humanitarians warn that millions could be left without the support required to stay safe and protected unless urgent funding is mobilized.
“In 2025, underfunding left millions of people without aid and without the support they needed to stay safe, fed and protected. Families were pushed into impossible choices, with many skipping meals, taking dangerous journeys, and exposing themselves to serious risks simply to survive,” said Ms Lewis. “We simply cannot allow this to happen again next year.”
