UNDP report says Myanmar's middle class has halved since 2021 coup; $4 billion annual aid gap cited
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Summary
UN Development Programme warns deepening poverty and conflict in Myanmar have halved the middle class since the 2021 military takeover and estimates $4 billion per year in aid is needed to blunt rising vulnerability.
The United Nations Development Programme said Myanmar's middle class has shrunk by 50% since the 2021 military coup and that poverty has surged amid ongoing conflict and insecurity.
Why it matters: UNDP Administrator Akim Steiner said less than a quarter of the population now has sufficient income to live above the poverty line and warned that, without immediate remedies, vulnerability will grow and have multi‑generational effects.
The report cited stark regional inequalities within Myanmar, with conflict-affected areas experiencing higher poverty driven by home destruction, restricted farmland access and rising displacement. UNDP estimated that roughly $4,000,000,000 in annual aid — including cash transfers and related measures — would be needed to address the worsening poverty trends, the transcript says. The briefing did not specify which international donors would supply that funding or a precise implementation plan.
Akim Steiner, UNDP administrator, is the source of the cited assessment and figures in the transcript.
Matt Wells, UN News.