• As world leaders gather for COP29 , Save the Children analysis reveals extreme heatwaves have affected the highest number of children in more than three decades.

PHOTO & VIDEO: www.contenthubsavethechildren.org/Package/2O4C2S0KQZNU

A record 711 million children, almost one-third of the global child population, were exposed to extreme heatwaves in the first nine months of this year - the highest number recorded since the start of international climate negotiations in 1992, according to new analysis by Save the Children.  

Extreme heat between January and September 2024 has affected almost twice as many children globally as in the whole of 2023, when 376m were exposed.

Children are experiencing more intense and frequent heatwaves because of the climate crisis, putting their health and wellbeing at significant risk, the aid agency said.  

In 2024, regions including South Asia and East Asia and Pacific have witnessed some of the highest numbers of children experiencing extreme heat, accounting for more than half of children globally exposed to heatwaves.  The research reveals an increase over the years, highlighting the accelerating climate crisis. 

The analysis also revealed that from January to September 2024: 

• Regionally: The highest number of children who experienced heatwaves was in South Asia with 223 million, followed by East Asia and Pacific with 176 million and West and Central Africa with 125 million children affected.   

• Most affected countries: Monaco and Moldova saw 100% of children affected. In Romania it was 99%, 98.9% in Cambodia, and 98.8% of children in North Macedonia.   

·       As the world’s most populous country, India saw the highest number of children experiencing heatwaves, with 175.5 million (40.5% of total child population), followed by China with 86.7 million (31.2%) and Nigeria with 40 million (36.1%).   

Save the Children analysed satellite imagery of surface temperatures covering every part the world. The aid agency 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.   

Extreme weather conditions are leading to an increase in child hospitalisations, respiratory conditions like asthma, in addition to impacting children’s mental health and overall development. Heatwaves are also increasing inequalities and food insecurity.

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

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.   

Sameer, 13, from Sindh province in Pakistan, which recorded 52°C in May 2024, said the sweltering heatwaves led to him and his classmates becoming unwell:   

“We get heat stroke 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.”  

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 programs  to create lasting change for children.

Shruti Agarwal, Senior Adviser on Climate Change and Sustainable Economies said:  

“The scale of this crisis is astonishing. 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.   

“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. The time for half measures is long past. As world leaders gather for COP29, they need to show children they will take bold action now. If this new Government is to truly live up to its aim to be a global leader on climate, it must push for an ambitious climate finance agreement that responds to the calls of global south partners.”  

In Mexico, close to 70% of child population has experienced heatwaves.

Carmina, a mother from Acapulco, said:   

“Already, the heat is intense, but in these months with the heatwaves, it has increased tremendously. Our community was surrounded by trees, which gave us a lot of freshness, but the heat was extreme after the hurricane… My daughters are already going through the difficult stage of adolescence, add to that the heatwave; they don't want to work, or if they do their schoolwork or chores at home, it becomes more difficult for them because the heat makes it easy for them to get distracted. So, living daily with these heatwaves we're experiencing is harder.”   

In 2022, the UK experienced its hottest day on record, with temperatures reaching 40.3°C in July. In the same year, almost half of all children in the UK were affected by heatwaves , the second largest proportion in Western Europe that year and the UK’s highest in the last 15 years. In 2023, the proportion fell to 28.7%.  

As temperatures across the world increase, heatwaves are growing in both frequency and intensity. July 2024 illustrated this alarming trend with extreme temperatures across Europe, Africa and Asia, triggering severe consequences including wildfires, and exacerbating droughts and health risks.   

With COP29 underway, world leaders must take bold action to protect children from heatwaves. Save the Children calls on the UK to fulfil its aim to be a global climate leader by advocating for an ambitious climate finance outcome with a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) that addresses the needs of children and families in the global south. Domestically, the UK’s new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) must at the very least be at the level of the Climate Change Committee recommendation.

This COP must also amplify children’s voices. Children are speaking up and leading the way toward a better world - it’s time for us to follow their lead.

ENDS  

Note to Editors:  

• 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 2024.   

• Data includes heatwave records from 1992.

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; other studies use a 97th percentile, significantly increasing the number of children affected by heatwaves