As conflict fuels suffering in Myanmar, UN publishes humanitarian report forecasting most urgent needs for 2026

The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) published today sets forward a sobering analysis and estimates that over 16 million people in Myanmar - including 5 million children - will require life-saving humanitarian assistance and protection next year. 

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 US$1.4 billion ask in 2025. This reduction reflects the reality of the global funding crisis, which has forced a 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 support 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.”

 

Note to editors:

The 2026 HNRP focuses exclusively on areas affected by two major shocks (conflict and earthquake) covering two-thirds of Myanmar’s townships, rather than the nationwide scope used in 2025. A total of 2.6 million people with the most severe needs are prioritized for assistance in 2026 at a cost of US$521 million. 

The Myanmar HNRP is also reflected within the 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview calling for US$33 billion to support 135 million people through 23 country operations and six plans for refugees and migrants.

Significant underfunding, inflation, access restrictions, and service disruptions have left many essential needs unmet. The drop in the people in need compared to 2025 (a 27 per cent decrease from 6.7 million 2025) is a reflection of hard decisions and revised analyses, rather than an improvement on the ground. 

Severe underfunding in 2025 — only 26 per cent of HNRP requirements received — significantly limited partners’ ability to deliver planned life-saving and protection assistance, leaving millions without support. Earthquake response funding reached 66 per cent of the US$275 million Flash Addendum to date.  

Despite access challenges, shrinking funding, and rising insecurity, partners reached 5 million people in the first nine months of 2025, and are expected to reach 5.7 million by year’s end at least once, noting that the depth and frequency of the support provided has in many cases been insufficient.

Links:

The 2026 Myanmar HNRP: https://humanitarianaction.info/plan/1505/document/myanmar-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-2026

Hand out photos for media: https://we.tl/t-mIMGqp3ezv

The 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview: https://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026