YANGON, Myanmar – More than 12 million people in Myanmar will face acute hunger in 2026, with a projected 1 million people hitting emergency levels that will require lifesaving assistance, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned today. Intensifying conflict and a sharp jump in displacement now risks pushing an underfunded hunger crisis to a breaking point.
The people of Myanmar already face dire levels of hunger; a place where mothers cannot afford enough food to sustain their health and malnutrition has become a new reality for thousands of children. More than 400,000 young children and mothers with acute malnutrition are surviving on nutrient-deprived diets of plain rice or watery porridge.
“Conflict and deprivation are converging to strip away people’s basic means of survival, yet the world isn’t paying attention,” said Michael Dunford, WFP country director in Myanmar. “This is one of the worst hunger crises on the planet and one of the least funded. We cannot allow this level of suffering to remain invisible. The scale of need is far outpacing our ability to respond.”
Internal displacement is expected to rise from 3.6 million to 4 million next year, according to the latest United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. This surge threatens to push millions of households who are barely coping into extreme deprivation.
“We’re on the ground. We’re delivering food and nutrition every day under extremely challenging conditions. But we are massively underfunded,” said Dunford. “The international community must act. Sustained funding and diplomatic support are needed to stop this crisis worsening next year.”
In 2026, WFP aims to assist 1.3 million people — a fraction of the more than 12 million in need — with humanitarian support requiring a budget of $125 million.
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This article was originally published on wfp.org
