Meth cheaper than a full belly in South East Asia, UN says

Meth is more affordable than fast food across many countries in South East Asia, with new figures reportedly indicating a tenfold increase in pill seizures across the region in the past seven years.

United Nations data has revealed 270 million meth pills were seized by regional authorities last year.

Contributing to the drug's popularity are the low purchasing prices, which are often more in the reach of poverty-stricken citizens than those for food.

In Myanmar and Laos, prices drop as low as US$2 (A$2.62) for a single pill - less than half the price of a Whopper value meal at Burger King in the region, Global Post has reported.

In Vietnam a pill reportedly costs US$2.50 ($3.28), compared to US$4 ($5.24) in Cambodia and US$3-$10 ($3.93-$13.10) in Thailand.

South East Asia is one of the world's biggest markets for synthetic drugs - with some regions among the largest mass producers as well.

However, the UN fears the market is still expanding.