Climate hazards converge on 1.1 billion children

Nearly half the world’s children are living under at least three overlapping climate threats, with heat, drought and storms pushing risks to health, schooling and survival into the daily lives of about 1.1 billion children, UNICEF findings show.

The Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026 maps exposure to eight common hazards: coastal floods, drought, extreme heat, fires, heatwaves, river floods, sand and dust storms, and tropical storms. It finds that almost every child is exposed to at least one of these hazards, while more than 4 million children face as many as six overlapping threats. The figures mark a shift from measuring climate danger as isolated disasters to tracking compounding pressures hitting the same communities at the same time.

Drought, extreme heat and heatwaves are the most widespread combination, affecting more than 296 million children. A second large cluster, combining drought, extreme heat and tropical storms, affects more than 115 million. The pattern is especially damaging because each hazard can worsen the next: drought undermines crops and water supplies, heat strains young bodies and learning capacity, and storms can destroy schools, clinics, roads and bridges already weakened by poverty.

Children are more vulnerable than adults because their bodies regulate temperature less efficiently, they breathe more air relative to body weight, and they depend on functioning public services. The report links climate exposure with gaps in health care, education, nutrition, water, sanitation, child protection and social protection, making clear that geography alone does not determine risk.

The Sahel is among the hardest-hit regions, with more than 4 million children exposed to the combined threat of heatwaves, extreme heat and sand and dust storms. Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan are identified as places where children face some of the highest levels of multiple climate hazards. Somalia, Madagascar, Myanmar, Cambodia and Pakistan rank among the most vulnerable when exposure is assessed alongside children’s access to essential services.

The pressure is not confined to low-income settings. More than 6 million children in Italy are exposed to prolonged heatwaves and drought, underlining how climate risks now cut across income groups even as poorer countries carry weaker buffers. Wealthier states may have greater capacity to adapt, but heat-stressed classrooms, water restrictions and damaged infrastructure still disrupt children’s lives.

Global figures show the scale of each hazard. Around 1.8 billion children are exposed to agricultural or meteorological drought, threatening food security and livelihoods. About 1.5 billion are exposed to heatwaves that are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting or more severe, and 1.2 billion are exposed to extreme heat conditions. Tropical storms affect 662 million children; river flooding affects about 337 million; coastal flooding reaches 33 million; frequent and severe fires affect 206 million; and sand and dust storms affect 123 million.

Climate-sensitive health threats add another layer. Around 1 billion children live in areas exposed to malaria, a disease whose transmission is influenced by temperature and rainfall, while detectable air pollutants affect an estimated 2.3 billion children. The overlap between climate hazards and health risks raises the prospect of cascading crises, where a flooded clinic, polluted air, contaminated water and a closed school compound the impact of a single season.

Education has become one of the clearest warning signals. At least 242 million students in 85 countries had schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024, including heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods and droughts. Lost school days can widen learning gaps, increase dropout risks and expose children to child labour, early marriage or unsafe migration where household incomes collapse after disasters.

“The lives of children continue to be upended by the impact of heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and floods,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said. “Half of the world’s children are now living with at least three overlapping climate threats shaping their daily lives.”