One in five children now lives in parts of the world where there are twice as many extremely hot days per year as there were 60 years ago, according to a new analysis by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The analysis, which compares average temperatures in the 1960s with those in the 2020-2024 period, shows a dramatic increase in the frequency of extreme heat days, where temperatures exceeded 35° Celsius (95° Fahrenheit), as well as the frequency of heat waves. UNICEF defines a heatwave as a period of three or more days of above-average heat.

The duration, intensity and frequency of heat waves have increased since 1960. More than half of all children under 18 worldwide now experience twice as many heat waves as they did 60 years ago.

In the worst-affected regions, two-thirds of children in West and Central Africa and 28 percent of children in the Middle East and North Africa experience three times as many heatwaves today as children growing up in the 1960s. In Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 57 million children – 60 percent – are exposed to twice as many heatwaves today. And in the United States, 36 million children – more than half of that population – are exposed to twice as many heatwaves as their peers did in the 1960s.

Hottest summer days now seem normal

“The hottest days of summer now seem to be the norm,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell noted in a press release. “Extreme heat is increasing, affecting children’s health, well-being and daily lives.”

The report’s findings are particularly alarming for children in 16 countries that now have more than a month of extremely hot days than in the 1960s. These children include children in war-torn Sudan.

“(The analysis) has real relevance for Sudan, where 80% of children now experience twice as many heatwaves as their grandparents,” UNICEF spokesman James Elder said at a press conference at the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday.

Most of the 16 countries mentioned are in Africa: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal are all battling increasing heat, while Tunisia and Paraguay are also on the list. For example, children in South Sudan are exposed to an average of 165 extremely hot days per year this decade, up from 110 in the 1960s. In Paraguay, the number of such days has doubled from 36 to 71.

Health effects of extreme heat on children

As climate change disrupts global temperature norms, exposure to extreme heat can often be as severe for children and pregnant women as for other adults, even though adults often get the most attention because they are more likely to suffer from chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases that are exacerbated by heat.

“Children are not small adults. Their bodies are much more vulnerable to extreme heat. Young bodies heat up faster and cool down more slowly. Extreme heat is especially dangerous for babies because of their faster heart rates, so rising temperatures are even more of a concern for children,” Russell said.

The analysis links heat exposure to a range of negative health outcomes, including pregnancy complications, low birth weight, premature birth, child malnutrition, heat-related illnesses and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. In addition, extreme heat has been shown to have negative effects on neurological development, mental health and general well-being.

Exacerbated by other climate-related threats

The impacts of extreme heat on children’s health are compounded by the broader impacts of climate-related hazards on food and water security, infrastructure, education and displacement. These challenges are compounded by existing vulnerabilities such as socioeconomic statusGender, location and underlying health conditions.

Heat relief measures are often financially prohibitive – heat relief through air conditioning is expensive. Many experts point to urban planning and building design to alleviate extreme heat. Narrow streetsGreen roofs and cul-de-sacs are all design techniques that aim to keep buildings cool.

With the upcoming submission of new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) under the Paris Agreement, UNICEF is calling on governments and the private sector to take bold action on climate change.

West and Central Africa is heating up

Children in West and Central Africa in particular are exposed to the worst heatwave in 60 years and have experienced the sharpest increase there, UNICEF warned in a statement. 123 million children – 39% of the region’s youth – are exposed to extreme heat for at least a third of the year, or 95 days or more. In countries such as Mali, Niger, Senegal and Sudan, children experience 195 to 212 days of extreme heat annually.

“Nearly 40 percent of children in the region experience extreme heat for more than a third of the year, which equates to at least four months with temperatures above 35 degrees (Celsius). In many countries, where the infrastructure to cope with this heat is often lacking, this has a huge impact on children, especially at school. The heat leaves many children sick, unable to learn, play or develop in schools with overcrowded classrooms and inadequate ventilation or other means of coping with extreme heat,” says David Knaute, climate expert at UNICEF’s West and Central Africa regional government.

“Just earlier this year, the region suffered a prolonged heatwave that affected several countries in the Sahel region. There we saw the risks for vulnerable populations, especially children. Young People in Casamance, Senegal, told me how they had suffered or experienced dehydration, dizziness and exhaustion as a result of the extreme heat.”

Photo credits: © UNICEF/UN0836989/Naftalin, © UNICEF Cambodia/2019/Fani Llaurado, © UNICEF/UN0794414/Dejongh.