Number of Rohingya refugees fleeing by sea surges by 90 percent, Save the Children reports

Kathmandu. The number of Rohingya refugees fleeing Bangladesh and Myanmar by boat has increased by 90 percent compared to last year, Save the Children said on Thursday, citing United Nations data.

To escape persecution in war-torn Myanmar, many Rohingya embark on dangerous sea journeys in overcrowded and dilapidated boats every year in search of a better life. Khin Maung, a member of the United Council Rohingya (UCR), an elected refugee council in Bangladesh, described the figures as deeply concerning.

He said, “Awareness programs about the risks of the journey were conducted, but the participants seemed desperate. Taking the risk to travel was not their desire, but a compulsion.”

He told AFP, “Seeing no clear prospect of repatriation or a future, and lacking access to formal education, our children are risking their lives.”

More than one million Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar during a brutal military crackdown in 2017 are living in massive refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

A statement issued by Save the Children official Ghulam Mustafa said, “Children and their families are facing increasing insecurity and inadequate support.”

He added, “Many families have no choice but to risk their lives and leave by boat, but their journey is fraught with danger.”

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), last year was the deadliest on record for Rohingya refugees fleeing by sea, with deaths continuing to rise in 2026.”

In 2025, about 900 Rohingya refugees went missing or were killed in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

More than 250 Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi migrants went missing this month when their boat capsized in the Andaman Sea while heading toward Indonesia.

UNHCR data shows that 2,907 people left Myanmar and Bangladesh by sea routes through March 31 this year, compared to 1,517 during the same period in 2025.

The cash-strapped UN World Food Programme cut aid to a large portion of the 1.2 million Rohingya population in Bangladesh this month.

Save the Children stated that at least 500,000 Rohingya refugee children have been affected by the ration cuts.

“This is ‘placing further strain on families, reducing food security within the camps, and forcing more refugees to attempt dangerous sea journeys’,” the agency said.