One third of children worldwide exposed to extreme heatwaves as temperatures hit record highs, new report reveals

13 year old Zain from Sindh province, Pakistan tries to keep cool in extreme heat. Photo by Insiya Syed/Save the Children

LONDON, 30 AUGUST 2024 - One-third of the total global child population—or 766 million children - were exposed to extreme heatwaves in the year between July 2023 and June 2024 as temperatures hit new record highs, according to new analysis by Save the Children.

In the same period, 344 million children – 15% of the world’s total - experienced the highest temperature recorded in their location since at least 1980.

Children around the world are experiencing more intense and frequent heatwaves because of the climate crisis, putting their physical and mental health as well as rights such as education at significant risk, the child rights organisation said.

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Save the Children analysed satellite imagery of surface temperatures covering every part of the world. The child rights organisation defined an “extreme heatwave” as three consecutive days experiencing a temperature in the top 1% of all those recorded in that location in the previous 30 years.

The data showed that the number of children affected by extreme heatwaves almost doubled from 2022/23 to 2023/24.

The new data showed that in July 2024 alone, 170 million children experienced heatwaves. The same month also saw unprecedented heat globally, including the hottest day ever on record.

Children’s bodies are less able to regulate their temperature compared to adults, making them more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke, Save the Children said. Their respiratory and immune systems are also still developing, making them more susceptible to the negative health impacts of poor air quality that often accompanies heatwaves.

Save the Children said that extreme heat is leading to an increase in child hospitalisations, the prevalence of respiratory conditions like asthma, in addition to impacting children’s mental health and overall development. Heatwaves are also worsening existing inequalities and food insecurity.

Heatwaves also disrupt education through school closures and decreased learning. In April and May 2024, more than 210 million children missed out on school days due to extreme heat. In Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, in May at least 26 million children or 52% of all the country’s pupils in pre-primary, primary and secondary education missed classes due to extreme heat.

In conflict zones, the compounding effects of heatwaves and humanitarian crises further endanger children already facing precarious circumstances.

Sameer, 13, from Sindh province in Pakistan, which recorded 52°C in May 2024 – close to the country’s record high of 54C - said the sweltering heatwaves led to him and his classmates becoming unwell:

“We get heat strokes and the children faint. One of my friends, Yasir, collapsed. He got a sudden fever and began to vomit. Then he was quickly taken to the hospital. Because of the intense heat, children get bouts of vomiting, fevers, and dizziness. I have become dizzy several times while sitting at my desk.” [1]

Shruti Agarwal, Senior Adviser on Climate Change and Sustainable Economies at Save the Children, said:

“The scale of this crisis is staggering. When nearly a third of the world’s children are exposed to heatwaves, it’s not just a record, but a catastrophe. This is no longer about discomfort, we’re talking about a threat to children’s survival, their education, their future. What we are seeing is an alarming trend where heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more severe and longer lasting, hitting children most impacted by inequality and discrimination the hardest. These heatwaves are not just a weather phenomenon – they're a bleak indicator of our planet's health and pose a grave and disproportionate risk to the health and wellbeing of children and future generations.

“The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. For children, it means growing up on an increasingly uninhabitable planet. And while they are the least responsible for the mess we’re in, they have the most to lose. Children and young people have been speaking up for years now, and it’s high time world leaders show they are listening by taking bold action to save their lives and their futures.”

Save the Children is calling for national governments to rapidly phase out the use and subsidy of fossil fuels and ensure a just and equitable transition in order to limit warming temperatures to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels.

Governments must recognise children as key agents of change in the climate crisis, and ensure children have platforms to speak out, the child rights organisation said. Leaders must also include and centre these voices – and the needs and rights of children, particularly those affected by inequality and discrimination – in the global response to climate change, including in climate finance from higher-income countries to lower-income countries. At a practical level, this includes ensuring buildings like schools are more resilient to rising temperatures so that children can learn safely.

Around the world, Save the Children works to create lasting change with and for children by supporting communities to strengthen their resilience to the climate crisis and calling on world leaders to tackle its root causes.

ENDS

We have multimedia content available here: Save the Children (contenthubsavethechildren.org)

You can read the analysis and full policy brief here: Policy Brief: Extreme Heat and Children’s Development and Wellbeing | Save the Children’s Resource Centre

Notes to Editor:

The analysis also revealed that from July 2023 to June 2024:

Regionally: The highest number of children who experienced heatwaves was in South Asia with 213 million, followed by East Asia and Pacific with 129 million and West and Central Africa with 117 million children affected.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, and West and Central Africa, the average number of heatwave days more than doubled compared to the previous 12 months.

Most affected countries: Andorra, San Marino and Albania saw 100% of children affected. In Thailand it was 97.5%, 97.2% in Cambodia, and 88.7% of children in Syria.

As the world’s most populous country, India saw the highest number of children experiencing heatwaves, with 170 million (39.5% of total child population), followed by Bangladesh with 38 million (71.5%) and Nigeria with 37 million (33.7%).

Save the Children’s study used satellite data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service and global child population estimates from WorldPop, aligned with UN World Population Prospects 2022.

For this research, a heatwave is defined as three consecutive days with temperatures above the 99th percentile of the past 30 years for a specific location. Our stringent 99th percentile definition highlights extreme conditions; using a 97th percentile would raise affected children to 1.7 billion, using the reference period of 1991-2020 for the current year.

Data includes heatwave records from 2000 onwards and unprecedented temperature spikes compared to 1980-2023 records.
More detailed methodological note available on request.

[1] Sameer attends a Save the Children Child-Friendly Space, which provides critical support during extreme weather events, offering a safe environment to escape the heat and harsh conditions. The centre also delivers sessions on how to stay safe during the intense heatwaves along with educational programmes to create lasting change for children.

We have spokespeople available. For more information and interview requests please email:

Emily Wight, Global Media Manager: Emily.Wight@savethechildren.org;

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409