New York, 10 October 2025 – UNDP’s latest report, titled “A Generation on Edge: Youth Safety and Well-being in Myanmar”, warns that Myanmar's context of prolonged insecurity, economic hardship, displacement, and fear is not only undermining human security — the freedom from fear, want, and anxiety — but also eroding the mental well-being of its young people. The report finds that one in seven youth — nearly 2.5 million people — live in near-constant fear for their personal safety, while four in ten — more than 6 million — feel unsafe walking alone at night.

Nearly one in three youth report frequent anxiety or stress, with levels rising to over 60 percent in Kayah and 40-45 percent in Chin and Rakhine, some of Myanmar’s most conflict- and poverty-affected states. Notably, more young men than women report feeling unsafe, while young women with disabilities face the highest levels of fear and vulnerability.

Released on World Mental Health Day, celebrated today under the global theme “Access to services — mental health in catastrophes and emergencies”, the report draws attention to the urgent need for mental health support in a country where conflict, fear of abduction, and daily economic hardship have become widespread.

“Anxiety as daily reality — whether due to violence, forced conscription, dim job prospects, or simply not knowing what tomorrow will bring – this is the all-too-familiar truth for much of Myanmar’s youth,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “Despite remarkable resilience, if young people grow up in an environment where trauma is the norm with little hope for peace, the consequences on the health and well-being of an entire generation could be irreversible.”

Other key findings include:

• Main safety threats: The spread of drugs (37%) and fear of abduction for forced recruitment (30%) emerge as the two most pressing safety concerns among young people, with recruitment occurring by different actors and contexts.
• Gendered differences: While young men overall report higher levels of insecurity — largely linked to fear of abduction and forced recruitment — young women with disabilities experience the highest compounded fear, showing how overlapping risks magnify vulnerability.
• Erosion of trust in justice: More than four in five youth who experienced crime did not report it beyond their families, citing fear, stigma, and lack of confidence in law enforcement and justice systems — deepening a cycle of impunity and insecurity.

The report highlights the growing toll of personal safety concerns on mental well-being. Youth who feel unsafe are twice as likely to report persistent anxiety or stress. Many describe living in “survival mode,” with constant worries about conflict, livelihoods, and family safety.

“Myanmar’s youth are carrying invisible wounds,” according to Wignaraja. “As we mark World Mental Health Day, we must recognize that supporting mental well-being is not separate from rebuilding hope and dignity — it is at the heart of both.” The report underscores that mental health and human security are closely intertwined: without safety in their communities and prospects for the future, young people’s sense of stability and resilience cannot recover.

Yet despite the hardship, nearly half of youth remain hopeful about their personal futures, and two-thirds still believe peace is possible. Such optimism is fragile — without renewed investment in safety, dignity, and opportunity, Myanmar risks losing a generation to fear and despair.

To address these challenges, UNDP calls for locally driven action to expand community-based mental health and psychosocial support; strengthen protection systems for at-risk youth, and integrate mental health into all humanitarian and recovery programmes, with particular focus on young women, persons with disabilities, and youth in conflict-affected areas.

Background

A Generation on Edge: Youth Safety and Well-being in Myanmar is the third report in UNDP’s Myanmar Youth Series, following A Generation on the Move (on migration and aspirations) and A Generation on Hold (on employment and education). Drawing on the voices of over 7,000 youth respondents from across all states and regions, the series provides an evidence base to inform programmes that protect and empower young people amid Myanmar’s ongoing crisis.

Media Contacts:

In Yangon: elena.guadalupe.sosa@undp.org 
In New York: raul.de.mora@undp.org

Report downloads:

• A Generation on Edge: Youth Safety and Well-being in Myanmar
• A Generation on Hold: Youth Employment and Education in Myanmar
• A Generation on the Move: Youth Migration and Perceptions in Myanmar