About the Rohingya Crisis

The Rohingya people have suffered decades of violence, discrimination and persecution in Myanmar, previously know as Burma. As a Muslim ethnic minority living in a predominantly Buddhist country, the Rohingya are not recognized as an official ethnic group and have been denied citizenship since 1982. They are one of the largest stateless populations in the world.

Since the early 1990's, the Rohingya have fled successive waves of violence in Myanmar. Their largest and fastest exodus began in August 2017 when violence broke out in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, driving more than 742,000 people to seek refuge in Bangladesh—the majority of whom were women and children. 

Over one million Rohingya refugees have fled violence in Myanmar in successive waves of displacement since the 1990s. A majority of stateless Rohingya refugees (90%) live in Bangladesh and Malaysia.

Today, more than 880,000 Rohingya refugees have settled in and around Kutupalong and Nayapara refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar region, which have grown to become the largest and most densely populated camps in the world. Conditions in the camps are challenging and local infrastructure and services have been stretched to their limits. The United Nations has described the Rohingya as “the most persecuted minority in the world.”

What is UNHCR doing to help Rohingya refugees?

The UN Refugee Agency has been working with partners in support of the Bangladeshi government to ensure an adequate response to the growing humanitarian needs and the protection of Rohingya refugees. Some of UNHCR’s activities in the field include the registration of more than 850,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, the distribution of shelter and lifesaving relief items -such as blankets, plastic sheets, sleeping mats, kitchen sets and jerry cans - as well as as supporting the construction of water and sanitation facilities. Education, healthcare and activities to prevent sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) have also been a key priority to UNHCR.

During the monsoon season, which falls from June to October each year, UNHCR supports activities to mitigate the effects of the torrential rains, which include helping refugees reinforce their shelters, relocating those who are in dangerous locations and conducting improvements to drainage systems and slope stabilization work.

Learn more about What We Do.