Eight times as many children around the world will be exposed to extreme heatwaves in the 2050s, and three times as many will face river floods compared with the 2000s if current trends continue, according to the UN.
Nearly twice as many children are also expected to face wildfires, with many more living through droughts and tropical cyclones, according to the annual state of the world’s children report.
Globally, greater numbers of children will live through extreme climate and environmental crises in the 2050s, but with significant regional variation.
The greatest increases in children experiencing extreme heatwaves are expected in east and south Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, and north, west and central Africa. River floods are expected to affect children in the same areas, as well as east Africa and the Pacific.
The report, released on Wednesday, World Children’s Day, forecasts how the climate crisis, demographic shifts (sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia are projected to have the largest child populations in the 2050s) and breakthrough technologies will affect children’s lives in the future.
The report said technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) will bring benefits and risks to children, who are already interacting with AI embedded in apps, games and learning software. The digital divide remains stark, however. In 2024, almost 95% of people in high-income countries are connected to the internet, compared with about 25% in low-income countries.
“Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come,” said Catherine Russell, Unicef’s executive director. “The decisions world leaders make today – or fail to make – define the world children will inherit … Decades of progress, particularly for girls, are under threat.”
Much of the emphasis of the report is on the impact of the climate crisis on children, nearly half of whom (approximately 1 billion) live in countries that face a high risk of environmental disasters. Even before they take their first breath, children’s brains, lungs and immune systems are susceptible to pollution, disease and extreme weather. As they grow, their education, nutrition, safety, security and mental health are shaped by the climate and environment.
The climate crisis makes more children vulnerable to disease. Rising average temperatures have led to an increase in mosquito populations and greater risks of the diseases they transmit, such as malaria, dengue, Zika and West Nile virus.
Extreme weather can stop children from eating a healthy diet, while tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, heatwaves and earthquakes have been linked to a range of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Air pollution is already a leading cause of death in children under five and was linked to 709,000 deaths in children under five years old in 2021, according to the 2024 State of Global Air report.
The World Bank recently called the educational impacts of the climate crisis an “economic timebomb”, as climate shocks can have profound effects on children’s education, leading to absence from school and widening learning gaps worldwide. Since 2022, more than 400 million students around the world have experienced school closures due to extreme weather.
“The world already knows what it needs to do to limit the worst impacts of climate change,” said Russell. “Youth leaders have been forceful – and rightly so – in urging national leaders to stick to their climate commitments. To ignore those calls is to betray the futures of children and young people. We cannot allow that to happen.”
