UN: 150,000 Rohingya Escape Myanmar for Bangladesh in 18 Months

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Rohingya refugees wait at a World Food Programme (WFP) distribution center to purchase groceries in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, Bangladesh, March 15, 2025. — Reuters

Over the last 18 months, Bangladesh has witnessed the largest surge of Rohingya refugees since the mass exodus of the majority-Muslim group from Myanmar nearly ten years ago, as reported by the United Nations on Friday.

According to the UN refugee agency, approximately 150,000 Rohingya have arrived at the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar since early 2024.

“Ongoing violence and persecution in Rakhine State, along with the continuing conflict in Myanmar, have led thousands of Rohingya to seek safety in Bangladesh,” stated UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch in a press conference in Geneva.

“This recent movement of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, occurring over several months, marks the largest influx from Myanmar since 2017, when around 750,000 fled the violent crackdown in their home state of Rakhine,” he added.

Baloch commended Bangladesh for its longstanding commitment to hosting Rohingya refugees.

A view of the Rohingya refugee camp with Myanmar's mountains in the background, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, March 16, 2025. — Reuters — A glimpse of the Rohingya refugee camp with Myanmar’s mountains visible in the backdrop, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, March 16, 2025. — Reuters

Even prior to this latest influx, around one million Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, were already residing in overcrowded relief camps in Bangladesh, most having fled the military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.

These camps, squeezed into just 24 square kilometers (approximately nine square miles), have become some of the world’s most densely populated areas, according to Baloch.