The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning, indicating that Myanmar is on the brink of a severe famine in 2026. Over 12 million people are projected to face acute hunger as escalating violence forces communities from their homes.
Of those millions, approximately one million individuals are expected to experience emergency levels of hunger, requiring immediate and life-saving assistance. The WFP highlights that the population is already grappling with critical levels of food insecurity, with many mothers struggling to provide adequate nourishment for their children. Malnutrition is becoming a daily reality for countless young people.
Alarmingly, more than 400,000 young children and mothers are suffering from acute malnutrition due to limited diets primarily consisting of rice or watery porridge.
“Conflict and deprivation are converging to strip people of their basic means of survival, yet the world is not paying attention,” stated Michael Dunford, WFP Country Director in Myanmar. He emphasized that the current crisis is one of the world’s worst hunger emergencies, but simultaneously, one of the least funded.
According to a recent report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the number of internally displaced persons is predicted to rise from 3.6 million to 4 million in the coming year. This surge in displacement threatens to push millions of already struggling families into deeper levels of destitution.
“We are on the ground, delivering food daily under extremely challenging conditions, but we are facing a significant funding shortfall,” Dunford added. “The international community must step up. Sustained funding and diplomatic support are needed to prevent this crisis from worsening next year.”
The WFP aims to provide assistance to only 1.3 million people in 2026, a figure significantly less than the over 12 million facing urgent humanitarian needs. The humanitarian plan requires an estimated $125 million to ensure effective implementation.
