More than 37 million people in Myanmar, or 68 percent of the population, are living in multidimensional poverty or at risk of falling into it amid prolonged conflict, economic instability and climate-related disasters, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report released on Thursday.

The report, titled Layers of Deprivation: Multidimensional Poverty in Myanmar, found that limited access to healthcare, adequate housing, clean water and other basic services accounts for more than 80 percent of multidimensional poverty in the country.

Myanmar has been gripped by civil conflict since the military seized power in February 2021. The crisis has been compounded by economic hardship, natural disasters and the devastating earthquake of March 2025.

Rakhine State in western Myanmar is among the worst-affected areas, with more than two-thirds of its population experiencing multidimensional poverty and nearly one-third living in extreme poverty.

The report also warned that climate hazards, rising food and fuel prices, and shrinking employment opportunities are worsening living conditions. Floods had affected around 600,000 people by late August, it said.

The UNDP estimated that at least one million young people may have left Myanmar since 2021, deepening concerns over the country's loss of human capital as education and employment opportunities continue to decline.

“The greatest risk facing Myanmar is not simply that poverty will deepen today, but that the opportunities of tomorrow will continue to shrink,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP's regional director for Asia and the Pacific.

The agency called for greater investment in livelihoods, education and essential services to help vulnerable communities cope with the crisis.

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