Children Exposed to Extreme Heatwaves – 2026 Update

Between January and early July 2026, 119 million children worldwide were exposed to extreme heatwaves, including 55 million in Western Europe, where three in five children have already been affected before the peak summer period. The UK recorded its highest child exposure since 1995, with 10 million children impacted. While 2026 has been particularly severe in Europe, recent years have brought record levels of child exposure across the Global South, especially in South Asia, West and Central Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Extreme heat threatens children’s health, education, nutrition, and wellbeing, with impacts falling hardest on those with the least access to protection and services. The findings also show a long-term rise in exposure, with significantly more children affected by extreme heatwaves today than in the 1990s.