After Taliban halts opium in Afghanistan, Myanmar emerges as world’s top producer: UN Survey

Opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar has surged to its highest level in ten years, according to the Myanmar Opium Survey 2025 released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

The report highlights that the area under opium cultivation expanded by 17% from last year, reaching 53,100 hectares—its largest extent since 2015. The escalation comes as the country continues to grapple with a civil war and deepening poverty, solidifying Myanmar’s position as the world’s leading known source of illicit opium. 

The surge in Myanmar follows a sharp decline in Afghanistan’s opium production after the Taliban’s 2021 ban, widening the gap in global supply.

The UNODC survey indicates that Myanmar also remains the world’s largest producer of methamphetamine, which is cheaper and easier to manufacture on an industrial scale compared to labour-intensive opium. 

The opium boom has been driven largely by soaring prices, with fresh opium now selling at around $329 per kilogram—more than double the price in 2019—pushing farmers deeper into poppy cultivation as conflict and economic hardship continue. The opium economy is estimated to be worth between $641 million and $1.05 billion, roughly 0.9% to 1.4% of Myanmar’s GDP in 2024.

Although average opium yields dropped by 13% due to intensified fighting in some regions, the expanded cultivation area offset the decline, leading to a slight 1% increase in overall production to 1,010 metric tons. 

This upward trend reverses last year’s marginal decline and reflects a resurgence in Myanmar’s entrenched drug trade, which has grown steadily since the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021. 
UNODC officials warn that the situation has reached a “critical moment,” with signs that heroin produced in Myanmar is beginning to enter European markets previously dominated by Afghan supply.

The Golden Triangle—where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand converge—continues to serve as a hub for illicit drug production, fueled by weak governance and the influence of ethnic armed groups involved in the trade. 

UNODC officials caution that without investments in sustainable livelihoods for farmers, Myanmar’s dependence on illicit cultivation is likely to deepen, further entrenching the cycle of poverty and conflict that sustains the drug economy.