• Between 2022 and 2023, the number of Rohingya refugees without adequate food rose from 44% to 70%

  • In 2022-2023, nearly half of Rohingya refugee children showed physical signs of malnutrition, including 15% of children aged between 6 months to 5 years

  • In 2023, less than half of children aged between 6 months and 2 years ate three meals a day - a dramatic increase since 2022 (68%)

  • Meanwhile, fewer than 1 in 6 refugee children in the camps ate three meals a day

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, August 23, 2024 —  New data from the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) health and nutrition programmes in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, reveals that food insecurity is at crisis levels and has increased dramatically since 2022. With a population of almost one million, malnutrition is widespread throughout the refugee camps, with women and children particularly at risk.

The IRC has been delivering health and nutrition programming with partners in Cox’s Bazar for the last four years, initially providing Rohingya refugees with services and expanding to host communities in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. During this time, our teams have witnessed the impact of devastating cuts in food rations in 2023, which left refugee communities with a 33% reduction in food items.

Hasina Rahman, IRC Bangladesh Director, said,

“The hunger crisis unfolding in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar is a result of multiple challenges and acute funding shortages. In 2023, the UN was forced to make the impossible decision to cut food rations to Rohingya refugees from $12 USD per month to just $8 USD. The new data from four years of IRC health and nutrition programmes shows the harsh reality that Rohingya refugees are living in; the fact that 70% of refugees do not have adequate food should be untenable. 

Seven years on from when Rohingya refugees first fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh, the situation for families who sought safety in Cox’s Bazar has shown no signs of improvement. Without access to education or employment opportunities, people are wholly reliant on food rations and handouts from aid organizations. Malnutrition means an increase in child deaths within the camps, while those who survive have their development hampered and their social and emotional learning impacted. This has led to many families turning to extreme methods of survival; alongside the increase in malnutrition, IRC teams are witnessing a shocking uptick in child marriage and child exploitation. It is vital that the world’s attention is refocused on Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugees who urgently need support.”