Since 2022, one in three children worldwide, or 911 million children, have been exposed to climate disasters. ANTALYA, Türkiye, 9 November 2026 – Nearly 50% more children were exposed to severe climate disasters each year over the past five years compared to the previous five years, according to new analysis from Save the Children, as world leaders gather for the COP31 United Nations climate conference. An average of 330 million children a year experienced severe heatwaves, droughts, tropical cyclones and particularly extreme rainfall each year between January 2022 and September 2026. That is up from 222 million children a year between 2017 and 2022, shortly after the Paris Agreement came into force. [1] In the first nine months of 2026 alone, about 205 million children were exposed to severe climate events. Since 2022, one in three children worldwide, or 911 million children, have been exposed to climate disasters – whether severe or less severe – which is an increase of 17% compared to the preceding five years. [2] Children are among those most vulnerable to climate change. Their developing bodies are less able to withstand extreme weather while disruptions caused by climate shocks have lasting consequences on their health, education and wellbeing. For example, air pollution from wildfires can significantly contribute to pneumonia and respiratory diseases in children. School closures due to heatwaves increase the risk of school dropouts, with girls at higher risk. The worst hit region in 2026 was Western Europe where one out of two children faced severe weather events, with a succession of record-breaking heatwaves making it the region’s hottest summer on record. In the Pacific and East Asia meanwhile, more children than anywhere else in the world experience severe climate disasters, with an average of 75 million children – or one in seven – having faced such events each year since 2017. The Pacific Islands remain on the frontlines of rising sea levels and increasingly intense storms, with Vanuatu spearheading a historic initiative through the UN General Assembly on the legal obligations of states concerning climate change. In May this year, the UN General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution supporting the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) 2025 advisory opinion, which established that states have a legal obligation to protect the climate system and affirmed that countries must uphold children’s rights, among other obligations, when addressing climate change. Haruka, 17, a NextGen Youth Ambassador and climate campaigner from Vanuatu, said: “It’s important for the perspectives of young people from the Pacific and Australia to be heard at pre-COP and COP because these are the spaces where decisions about climate change are being made and decision about our futures and the world that we are going to inherit. For us in the Pacific we are at the forefront of the climate crisis. We bear the brunt of climate change and it’s important for us to be heard and for people to recognise that young people are being impacted by this issue. ” Earlier this year Save the Children opened a climate resilient classroom built using container architecture in Vanuatu – one of the most disaster-prone countries – after a funding boost by two adventurers to keep children learning even when disasters strike. Shruti Agarwal, Senior Advisor Climate Change and Sustainable Economies, Save the Children UK, said: “Across Africa, Asia and around the world, children are being pushed to the frontlines of a climate crisis they did not create. Every flood, drought, heatwave and storm steals more of their safety, education, health and hope for the future, and these disasters are only getting more severe. Yet leaders continue to make decisions that fail to match the scale and urgency of this crisis. “Every delay puts more children at risk. At COP31, governments must agree collectively to address the impacts of climate change on children, invest in their future, and put their rights, needs and voices at the heart of every climate decision. Children cannot wait. ” Save the Children is calling on decision makers, including governments, corporations and policymakers, to put children at the centre of climate decisions. They are calling for the urgent phase-out of the use and subsidy of fossil fuels aligned with the 1. 5°C goal of the Paris Agreement [1] and to make education a priority in climate discussions so that every child realises their right to learn in a safe environment, even after a climate disaster. The child rights organisation is also calling for high-income countries and historical emitters to provide high-quality climate finance to lower-income countries, grounded in the principles of child rights and climate justice. ENDS Notes and methodology [1] The Paris Agreement was agreed in December 2015, but came into force in November 2016, therefore the analysis compares the five year period from January 2017 to December 2021 and the almost five year period from January 2022 to September 2026. Given that 2026 data is only until September, the contrast between the two periods will likely be even more striking by the end of 2026. [2] Hazards included: Heatwaves which are defined as at least one heatwave day: 3+ days in a row with day and night temperatures among the hottest 1% for that place. The more severe form defined as at least 6 heatwave days. Drought: At least 3 months of severe dryness (SPEI-3 at or below -1. 5) while in the more severe form dryness also lasting over 12 months for at least half the year. Tropical cyclones: winds of at least 63 km/h (tropical-storm strength) with the severe form being winds of at least 119 km/h (hurricane or typhoon strength). Extreme rain: A day of rain at least as heavy as the local 1-in-10-year level with the more severe form being at least the local 1-in-50-year level. For media: Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Global Media Manager: Asia Amy. Lefevre@savethechildren. org Aisha Majid, Data Media Manager Aisha. majid@savethechildren. org
World: COP31: Climate disasters hit nearly 50% more children a year in the last five years – Save the Children analysis
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