spotlight 2
near collapse of essential services such as education
and healthcare, worsening food insecurity and
heightening protection concerns, particularly for
women and girls. The impact of the violence and the
absence of a political solution to the crisis in
Myanmar continues to be felt across the region and
has triggered new and onward movements of
refugees. As a consequence, UNHCR and its
partners are implementing a route-based (or
panoramic) approach in their response to ensure
access to protection and solutions is available as
early as possible.73
Map 1 | IDPs in Myanmar and the estimated number of refugees fleeing since February 2021 |
February 2021 – March 202574
New Delhi
INDIA
57,100
BANGLADESH
107,600
BANGLADESH
Dhaka
Legend
Sea routes
Land routes
MYANMAR
XX
Number of arrivals since 1 Feb 2021
XX
Number of internally displaced
people as of 31 March 2025
MYANMAR
3.6M
Yangon
THAILAND
N/A
Bangkok
SRI LANKA
SRI LANKA
170
Colombo
MALAYSIA
15,100MALAYSIA
MALDIVES
Kuala Lumpur
INDONESIA
4,400 INDONESIA
The humanitarian crisis in Myanmar has been further
compounded by disasters and extreme weather
events in recent years, including Cyclone Mocha in
May 2023, Typhoon Yagi in September 2024 and a
devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake in March
2025. A staggering 17.2 million people were affected
by the earthquake, including 2.1 million people who
were already displaced by conflict. The disaster
caused widespread devastation, killing over 3,500
people, leaving nearly 5,000 injured and hundreds
missing.75 UNHCR declared a humanitarian
emergency in the aftermath of the disaster. It
launched an emergency appeal to expand relief
efforts, manage displacement sites and support 1.2
million vulnerable people in six affected regions until
the end of 2025.76
73 See Myanmar situation, UNHCR, which complements the Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (2025) and the Joint Response
Plan launched by the Government of Bangladesh and partners.
74 Arrows are indicative of movement and may not reflect exact routes. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this
map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. In Bangladesh, new arrivals are biometrically identified. The
source of the estimated number of refugees who fled since 2021 to India and remain in the country is the State Governments, Communitybased organizations and UNHCR registration. In Thailand, the number of new arrivals is not available, but the Operation Centre for Displaced
Persons, Ministry of Interior of Thailand, estimates that 52,000 refugees fled Myanmar and subsequently returned home from Thailand’s
Temporary Safety Areas.
75 See Myanmar: Earthquake Response Situation Report No. 1, OCHA.
76 See Myanmar earthquake emergency - UNHCR response to urgent needs of displaced people and host communities, UNHCR.
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UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2024