Urban Poverty: Unpacking Yangon
3 June 2025
June 3, 2025
Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and economic hub, is experiencing an unprecedented surge in urban poverty, particularly in its peri-urban areas, where those affected by economic collapse and conflict are seeking refuge. This survey-based study with 4,800 respondents, provides a detailed portrait of the deepening vulnerabilities affecting Yangon’s urban and peri-urban communities in the wake of economic downturn, political instability, displacement — and amid a backdrop of shrinking international aid and donor support that has further constrained response capacity.
The scale of urban poverty has risen dramatically in recent years. In 2017, 10% of Yangon’s urban population was classified as poor. By 2023, this figure had increased to 43%. Given Yangon’s total urban population of approximately 6.2 million people, this translates into an increase of about 2 million, with nearly 2.7 million individuals now living in poverty. The depth of urban poverty has also intensified, from 2% in 2017 to 26% in 2023. This means that not only are more people in Yangon falling below the poverty line, but those who are poor are now much further below the poverty line than before.
