The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that more than 12 million people in Myanmar will face acute hunger in 2026, with an estimated one million individuals reaching emergency levels that require lifesaving assistance. Intensifying conflict and rising displacement threaten to push the underfunded hunger crisis in the country to a breaking point.
Many families in Myanmar already struggle to meet basic nutritional needs, with mothers unable to access sufficient food for their own health and thousands of children suffering from malnutrition. Over 400,000 young children and mothers with acute malnutrition survive on nutrient-deficient diets, often limited to plain rice or watery porridge.
WFP Country Director Michael Dunford emphasized that conflict and deprivation are stripping away people’s basic means of survival, describing the situation as one of the world’s worst hunger crises and among the least funded. He warned that the scale of need is far outpacing the available response capacity, leaving widespread suffering largely invisible.
Internal displacement in Myanmar is projected to rise from 3.6 million to 4 million people in 2026, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. This increase could push millions of already vulnerable households into extreme deprivation, compounding the humanitarian crisis.
Despite ongoing efforts to deliver food and nutrition under extremely challenging conditions, WFP is severely underfunded. The organization stresses the urgent need for sustained international funding and diplomatic support to prevent the crisis from worsening. In 2026, WFP aims to assist 1.3 million people, a small fraction of the more than 12 million in need, with a required budget of US$125 million.
