Myanmar safety score cut after UN reports 700+ civilian deaths in six months

We lowered Myanmar's safety score from 6.2 to 3.7 on Country To Live. A new UN Human Rights Office report says Myanmar's military killed more than 700 civilians during the six-month election period from August 2025 to January 2026, with air strikes the single largest cause of death. That is not a backdrop where we can score safety as if the civil war were a distant headline.

This is an editorial scoring update for people comparing countries on our site. It is not travel permission, visa advice, or a signal that any region is safe to visit.

Why we changed the score

• Civilian deaths are verified at scale. The BBC's coverage of the UN report cites a minimum of 702 people killed, including 224 women and 153 children, with credible sources behind the count.
• Air strikes dominate the harm. The report names Sagaing as the deadliest region, including attacks on gatherings such as a candlelit event outside a school in Chaung-U and a tea shop during a football match in Tabayin.
• The conflict is widening, not winding down. Five years after the 2021 coup, large areas stay outside military control, forced conscription continues, and the junta's 2025 election excluded major opposition parties. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that falling international aid is compounding civilian suffering.
• Other scores stay cautious for now. Low infrastructure and internet ratings on the Myanmar country page already reflected weak services. Safety was overdue for a sharper cut given mid-2026 reporting.

What the number means on our site

Safety on Country To Live reflects how comfortable a typical international mover might feel about unrest, conflict, and crisis risk. A 3.7/10 puts Myanmar in our lowest band, closer to active conflict zones than to regional peers such as Thailand or India.

Open the Myanmar country page for the full breakdown, or put Myanmar in our compare tool next to Thailand if you are weighing mainland Southeast Asia. Browse all country scores to see where Myanmar sits after this change.

Before you plan a move

1. Read your government's travel advisory. Most still warn against all but essential travel and flag arbitrary detention risk.
2. Do not treat tourist-era memory as current fact. Temple towns and beach resorts that felt calm before 2021 are not reliable guides to 2026 security.
3. Watch for aid and access changes. Border areas, Rohingya communities, and rebel-held zones each carry distinct risks. Revisit our score updates before any return or long-stay plan.

We will publish another update if a durable ceasefire holds long enough to justify a change, or if verified civilian harm worsens further.

This note explains our editorial scoring only. It is not legal, immigration, or personal safety advice.