Myanmar’s opium cultivation reaches ten-year peak

Bangkok (Thailand) – Myanmar’s opium poppy cultivation is at a ten-year peak, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has reported in its latest opium survey, which comes at a critical time for the country.

The report, titled “Myanmar Opium Survey 2025: Cultivation, Production and Implications”, analyses data collected in Myanmar during the fourth growing season since the military takeover. Showing a 17 per cent increase in poppy cultivation compared to the previous year -from 45,200 to 53,100 hectares- it reflects the uncertainty the country faces after years of conflict and socio-economic instability. It also reaffirms Myanmar’s role as the world’s known main source of illicit opium, following the continued decline of cultivation in Afghanistan.

“Myanmar stands at a critical moment,” said Delphine Schantz, UNODC Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. “This major expansion in cultivation shows the extent to which the opium economy has re-established itself over the past years - and points to potential further growth in the future.”

Increases in cultivations were recorded in all growing regions, with the strongest increases in East Shan (32 per cent) and Chin State (26 per cent), and the lowest increase measured in Kachin (3 per cent). With an increase of 13 per cent, South Shan remained the area with the heaviest cultivation, accounting for 44 per cent of the country’s opium fields. The report’s analysis includes poppy cultivation in Sagaing Region for the first time, showing 552 hectares under cultivation. Together with the expansion in Chin State, this places increased focus on Myanmar’s western border areas, and potential implications for neighbouring countries.

The findings confirm a trend of steady increase in opium cultivation since 2020, following several years of decline over the years before that. A key factor behind this trend is the price of opium, which has doubled over this period amidst deteriorating social and economic conditions. Compared to 2019, when a kg of fresh opium cost 145 USD, the price per kg today stands at 329 USD, an increase of approximately 127 per cent. If global demand for opiates from Southeast Asia rises in response to heroin supply shortages from Afghanistan, this trend is likely to continue, UNODC warns. 

While the area under poppy cultivation has increased from 2024 to 2025, the amount of opium produced per hectare has not, showing the complex relationship between conflict and illicit crop cultivation. Although economic instability and uncertainty drive more farmers towards opium poppy as a resilient cash crop, intensifying conflict and insecurity make it more difficult for them to care for their fields and obtain the agricultural inputs needed to maintain high yield rates. Decreases in yield were particularly observed in North Shan and Kachin, coinciding with expanding armed clashes in these regions. Nevertheless, the opium yield and resulting productive output remain at historically high levels.

The report also points to emerging signs of heroin flowing from Myanmar to markets that were previously supplied by opium originating in Afghanistan. There have been several seizures of heroin from passengers traveling from the Southeast Asia region towards Europe over the past year. While these appeared to be mostly individual cases, the changed environment could encourage more cultivation and production of opium in Myanmar

These challenges are only expected to grow, UNODC warns. Conditions in the country and external factors continue to create incentives for poppy cultivation, and with prices set to increase, farmers will see few alternatives to opium as a crop.

“Driven by the intensifying conflict, the need to survive and the lure of rising prices, farmers are drawn to poppy cultivation,” Schantz added. “The increase we have seen in the past year will have significant implications for Myanmar’s future. Unless viable alternative livelihoods are created, the cycle of poverty and dependence on illicit cultivation will only deepen. What happens in the country will shape drug markets in the region and far beyond, and requires urgent action.”

Click here to download the full report.

Click here to learn more about how UNODC supports farmers transition from illicit crop cultivation.

Click here to learn about UNODC’s work on alternative development.

Satellite images in target hotspots across Myanmar’s opium-growing fields that UNODC experts used to analyse the current situation.