Five years into a multidimensional crisis, the choices available to Myanmar's youth, and the choices made for them, will determine whether the country emerges with a generation equipped to rebuild or one shaped by prolonged disruption and displacement. More than three-quarters of young people aged 18 to 24 are out of education or training, and it is estimated that at least one million young people have left the country since 2021.

Generation Crossroads draws on a nationally representative survey of 7,187 young people, alongside interviews and focus group discussions, to examine six interconnected breakpoints shaping their lives: disrupted learning, fragile livelihoods, fear and insecurity, mental stress, climate pressures, and coping migration. Rather than acting in isolation, these pressures reinforce one another, compounding risks and narrowing young people's opportunities. 

Yet this trajectory is not predetermined. Nearly nine in ten young people who would migrate say they would return if conditions improved, and around 68 percent believe peace is possible. The report argues that investing in young people's capabilities and aspirations is essential to transform a crisis generation into a rebuilding generation and is one of the most effective ways to anchor recovery and lay the foundations for lasting peace.