580 Million Children Face 20 Additional Heat-Stress Days Annually Due to Climate Change
Climate change is exposing approximately 580 million children under the age of 10 to at least 20 additional heat-stress days annually, according to a study published in Science Advances and highlighted by Carbon Brief. These heat-stress days are defined as days when the indoor wet-bulb globe temperature exceeds 28°C.
The study attributes these additional days directly to human-caused warming, comparing the present-day climate with approximately 1.3°C of warming to a pre-industrial baseline. Regions most affected include South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Africa, where rapidly growing child populations and humid heat conditions exacerbate the impact.
For example, residents of Côte d’Ivoire experience an average of 112 heat-stress days annually, with about half of these attributable to climate change, whereas Germany averages just 0.1 such days per year.
Supporting data from UNICEF's 2026 Children’s Climate Risk Report indicates that nearly two-thirds of children worldwide are exposed to heatwaves that are becoming more frequent, longer, or more severe. Additionally, 1.2 billion children are exposed to extreme heat conditions, defined as days over 35°C.
A 2024 scoping review in the Journal of Climate Change and Health links heatwaves and extreme heat events to various pediatric health issues, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and heat illness. The review projects that the number of children exposed to high-frequency heatwaves could rise to 2 billion by 2050.