Two in three people in Myanmar face poverty or risk falling into it | Report

Years of conflict, economic disruption, displacement and repeated shocks are eroding the foundations that people across Myanmar rely on to survive, cope and recover, according to a new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report released on 8 October 2026. More than two in three people in Myanmar are now either living in multidimensional poverty or vulnerable to falling into it. The report, Layers of Deprivation: Multidimensional Poverty in Myanmar, finds that overlapping deprivations in health, education and living standards affect 68 percent of the population. Over 37 million people are either living in multidimensional poverty or at risk of falling into it. Millions are left with little capacity to withstand further crises.

Using a multidimensional poverty methodology, the findings suggest that Myanmar is facing more than an income crisis. Many of the buffers that once helped families absorb shocks, such as savings, stable livelihoods, access to services and social support networks, are steadily disappearing. Deficits in health and living standards account for more than 80 percent of multidimensional poverty. This reflects households’ challenges in accessing healthcare, adequate housing, clean water, sanitation and other essential services, particularly in conflict zones. Poverty looks different across the country, driven by conflict and displacement in some areas and by long-standing gaps in livelihoods, education, infrastructure and public services in others.

Rakhine stands out as one of the country’s most severe multidimensional poverty hotspots, with more than two-thirds of its population multidimensionally poor and nearly one-third severely poor. Deprivation among some stateless and displaced populations, including Rohingya communities, may be understated because of limitations associated with phone-based data collection. The findings also challenge assumptions that poverty is primarily rural. While Yangon records lower regional poverty rates than many conflict-affected states, it contains one of the country’s largest concentrations of multidimensionally poor people. This reflects deepening vulnerabilities among urban and peri-urban households.

Households are confronting an accumulation of shocks, with climate-related risks of floods, cyclones, droughts and landslides affecting around one in five households and expected to intensify with El Nino. At the end of August, an estimated 600,000 people were affected by flooding. Rising fuel prices linked to the Gulf crisis, inflation and increasing food costs are placing additional strain on communities, with diesel and gasoline prices approximately 87% and 85% above pre-crisis levels.

“Myanmar may no longer dominate international headlines, but the hardships facing millions of people continue to deepen,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “We are seeing a depth of poverty in Myanmar that is eroding human development itself. This is a no-win war. Everyone is losing.”

Young people face particular strain as opportunities shrink, with at least one million young people estimated to have left Myanmar since 2021. Nearly half of households dependent on casual labour are multidimensionally poor, with casual labour, conflict-affected and migrant households facing the highest poverty levels. Without greater investment in decent livelihoods, education and essential services, these pressures risk pushing more people to pursue illegal activity or other desperate means.

“The greatest risk facing Myanmar is not only the deepening of poverty today, but the narrowing of opportunities tomorrow,” Wignaraja said. “Societal recovery cannot wait for a conflict to end,” she added, stressing that investment in livelihoods, education, healthcare, local markets and basic services remains essential.