Myanmar is facing one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crisis. Prolonged internal armed conflict, widespread displacement and economic decline have been compounded by new shocks, including the devastating earthquake that struck the country in March 2025. In response, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has published the “Myanmar: Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026 (HNRP),” a 70-page document outlining the scale of need and the international support required.

Setting Out the Humanitarian Crisis in Myanmar

Myanmar has endured escalating internal armed conflict since 2021, with hostilities between the Myanmar Armed Forces and nonstate armed groups driving unprecedented humanitarian need. As of November 2025, 3.6 million people are internally displaced, the highest figure ever recorded in the country, including 1.7 million living in the most severely affected regions of the Northeast, Rakhine and the Southeast. In the first half of 2025, Myanmar ranked second globally for conflict intensity.

It was the fourth most dangerous country for civilians, with more than half the population exposed to violence. This protracted crisis was further intensified by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake on 28 March 2025, the world’s largest since 2023. The disaster claimed 5,400 lives, injured thousands and caused an estimated $11 billion in economic losses.

Ten months on, recovery efforts continue amid severe economic decline, with inflation reaching 31% in the 2025–26 financial year. Economic disruption and insecurity have sharply reduced access to food. By late 2025, more than 12 million people faced acute food insecurity, including one million at emergency levels, placing Myanmar among the world’s most severe hunger hotspots and underscoring the urgent need for international humanitarian support.

OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan

The Myanmar 2026 HNRP asserts that 16.2 million people (including 8.4 million women and five million children) need humanitarian assistance. While the HNRP for the previous year included the entire population, funding shortfalls and operational constraints have led the 2026 plan to adopt a tier-based approach to humanitarian assistance. Myanmar’s population is divided into people in need, people targeted and people prioritized.

Within this system, humanitarian needs are organized across nine clusters of concern, including access to shelter, health care and protection. An individual’s classification is determined by the cumulative severity of their situation across these clusters. This approach identifies 2.6 million people requiring prioritized humanitarian assistance and 4.9 million people to be targeted.

Read the full article about the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar by Andrew Geddes at The Borgen Project.