But with prospects bleak in the camps and little hope of going home, many are motivated to seek a new life ahead.
The UNHCR estimates that some 2,400 Rohingya have made or attempted to make the sea voyage to countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia this year, which rights groups said was a fivefold increase from the previous year.
Several boats full of people have grounded in Indonesia since November and the Sri Lankan Navy rescued one. Thai fishermen found six Rohingyas floating in the sea this week, clinging to a water tank.
It is not clear what is driving the exodus, but some activists believe the lifting of Covid restrictions around Southeast Asia, a preferred destination for the Rohingya, could be a factor.