According to the 2025 Landmine Monitor report, Myanmar recorded the highest number of casualties globally in 2024 due to landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). The report states deaths and injuries more than doubled in a year as conflict spread across the country.
The report found that 2,029 people were killed or injured in 2024. This is an increase from 1,003 in 2023 and 545 in 2022, and marks a sharp escalation since the military coup in February 2021. Two-thirds of casualties were caused by antipersonnel mines. The majority of victims – 86 percent – were civilians.
Since the Landmine Monitor began recording data in Myanmar in 1999, at least 9,206 people have been killed or injured by mines and ERW in Myanmar. The true figure, however, is believed to be higher due to underreporting.
The report says Myanmar’s armed forces continue to produce and frequently use antipersonnel landmines. Non-state armed groups – including People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) and ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) – also laid mines, including improvised victim-activated devices. New mine use increased significantly in 2024–2025.
As of October 2025, suspected mine and ERW contamination had been reported in 211 of Myanmar’s 330 townships, in every state and region. The United Nations previously described the country as “littered with landmines.”
The Landmine Monitor also documented allegations that the military has forced civilians to act as human shields and “human minesweepers.” Junta troops reportedly force civilians to walk ahead of troops in mined areas, a practice that rights groups say constitutes grave violations of international humanitarian law.
Despite the worsening crisis, Myanmar is not party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. While it has voted in favour of recent UN resolutions supporting the treaty, neither the junta authorities nor the parallel National Unity Government (NUG) has taken steps toward accession.
Access to medical care and rehabilitation for survivors has deteriorated sharply amid ongoing conflict and attacks on health facilities. International demining organisations remain barred from conducting clearance operations.
Humanitarian groups warned that without urgent action to halt new mine use and allow systematic clearance, civilians will continue to pay the price long after the guns fall silent.
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