Myanmar: Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2024, Year-end Dashboard (Jan - Dec 2024)

Humanitarian operations faced severe constraints due to insecurity, bureaucratic hurdles, and targeted attacks on aid workers, limiting access to conflict-affected areas. Recovery from Cyclone Mocha, which devastated parts of the Northwest and Rakhine in May 2023, remained slow throughout 2024 due to critical funding shortages. Vulnerable groups including women, children, and persons with disabilities bore the heaviest burden, facing heightened risks and limited access to essential services.

Analysis of reach

Despite these challenges, humanitarian actors used a range of aid modalities to reach at least 4.2 million people with assistance at least once. The actual reach is likely even higher due to underreporting of assistance in conflict areas, but this remains difficult to quantify. While the number of people reached is substantial under the circumstances, this reach falls short of the planned depth, quality and sustainability due to severe underfunding. As of 12 February 2025, funding for the 2024 Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had reached $389 million, only 39 per cent of the requested funding (the 6th lowest funded humanitarian response plan globally). This meant that 1.1 million highly vulnerable people targeted for assistance were not reached. Urgent attention and a substantial increase in financial support for both humanitarian and development actors are imperative to bridge this gap moving into 2025.

By the end of 2024, humanitarian activities successfully reached 79 per cent of the targeted population at least once, albeit not at the envisioned depth, quality or frequency due to the severe underfunding. A notable achievement was the substantial increase in the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) reached, rising from 1 million in 2023 to 2.2 million by Q4 2024 — a 120 per cent increase. This reflects a concerted effort to prioritize the needs of this highly vulnerable group, the vast majority of whom are living in hard-to-reach areas. Additionally, nearly 1.6 million other crisis-affected people received assistance, underscoring the broader challenges faced by communities experiencing the collapse of basic services in the absence of large-scale development activities.

Humanitarian partners continued a specific focus on women and girls, reaching 2.3 million of them (53 per cent out of all people who received assistance). Similarly, persons with disabilities were consistently prioritized, with 12 per cent (490,000 people) reported to benefit from assistance. These achievements illustrate sustained commitment to inclusivity and addressing the specific challenges faced by these groups.