Rohingya history
A timeline of the Rohingya
Key moments from Arakan to today, in order. This timeline is updated when the facts change.
Before 1784
The Kingdom of Arakan
Rohingya communities trace their history to Arakan, today’s Rakhine State, an independent kingdom on the Bay of Bengal.
1784
Burmese conquest of Arakan
The Burmese kingdom conquers Arakan.
1826
British rule
After the First Anglo-Burmese War, Arakan comes under British rule.
1948
Independence
Burma becomes independent from Britain.
1978
First mass exodus
About 200,000 Rohingya flee to Bangladesh during a military operation.
1982
Citizenship Law
Burma’s Citizenship Law leaves most Rohingya without citizenship.
1991 – 1992
Second exodus
About 250,000 more Rohingya flee to Bangladesh.
2012
Violence in Rakhine State
Violence forces many Rohingya into displacement camps inside Myanmar.
2017
The largest exodus
More than 700,000 Rohingya flee to Bangladesh after violence that began in August 2017.
2018
Hanifi in Unicode
Hanifi Rohingya is added to Unicode 11.0, so the script can be typed on phones and computers.
Today
More than a million refugees
More than one million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, most in Cox’s Bazar, and new arrivals have continued.
Sources & further reading