Funding Shortfalls Threaten 1.2 Million Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

The Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh has reached its tenth anniversary, with the refugee population growing to approximately 1.2 million. This increase includes children born in the camps and new arrivals fleeing renewed conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State.

The Government of Bangladesh faces a mounting financial and security burden as international support declines. In 2025, only 46 percent of the requested $934.5 million in aid was received. This shortfall has forced the restructuring of food rations, the closure of thousands of learning centers, and the deterioration of shelter conditions. Oxfam's "Holding the Line" report warns that these cuts have gutted vital services in health, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors, threatening the collapse of public-health systems in Cox's Bazar.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam stated the government is maintaining diplomatic pressure to ensure repatriation. Meanwhile, UNHCR Representative Ivo Freijsen warned that eroding essential services creates more urgent needs for the future. Oxfam Country Director Anil Pant noted that funding pressure now threatens systems built over nearly a decade, calling for predictable financing to prevent a humanitarian collapse.