Overview
- Poppy fields expanded 17% from 2024 to about 53,100 hectares, reaching the highest level in a decade, according to the UN agency.
- Eastern Shan State recorded a 32% increase and Chin State rose 26%, while southern Shan remained the core area with 44% of national cultivation.
- The survey identified 552 hectares in northern Sagaing near the India border, the first detection there and a sign of geographic spread.
- Despite the larger cultivated area, estimated opium production remained roughly unchanged at around 1,000 tonnes.
- With Afghan output down, Myanmar is now the main known source of illicit opium, and UNODC cited early signs of Southeast Asian heroin reaching Europe, including a cumulative 60 kg seized from Thailand–EU air travelers in 2024 and early 2025.