UNICEF Report: Indian Children Face Highest Exposure to Extreme Heat, High Drought Risk
New Delhi: A new report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has found that children in India are among the most exposed to multiple climate hazards, including extreme heat, drought, and floods. The Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026 highlights that approximately 55% of children under 18 in India are exposed to at least three of eight climate hazards considered: riverine floods, coastal floods, agricultural and meteorological drought, tropical storms, heatwaves, extreme heat, and sand and dust storms.
Globally, of the roughly 2.4 billion children, around 2 billion (83.3%) are exposed to at least two of these hazards, while 1.1 billion (46%) face three or more. India ranks fifth in the world on UNICEF’s multi-hazard exposure score, which assesses children’s exposure to multiple climate hazards. The top four countries—Myanmar, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Bangladesh—have higher exposure scores, indicating greater vulnerability for children in those nations.
On extreme heat, India tops the list with the highest possible score of 10, meaning Indian children have the greatest exposure to extreme heat among all countries assessed. For drought (both agricultural and meteorological), India scores 8.84, placing it behind Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Cameroon, which have higher relative exposure.
The report also stresses that children are uniquely threatened by climate-sensitive factors such as air pollution and vector-borne diseases like malaria. In India, two-thirds of children are exposed to malaria, and nearly 99% are exposed to air pollution. “Human-induced climate change and air pollution are linked in different ways. Many activities that produce greenhouse gases also emit air pollutants, which have devastating and wide-reaching impacts on children,” the report states.
To assess a country’s capacity to address climate risks, the report examines child vulnerability scores, which measure the strength of critical social systems and services like health, nutrition, water, and sanitation. India’s child vulnerability score is 3.44 out of 10—lower than the median of 2.5, indicating relatively stronger capacity compared to many nations. However, when plotted against exposure, India falls in the “quadrant of crisis,” where both exposure and vulnerability are above the global median. For comparison, children in several African countries, such as Niger, Chad, and South Sudan, have much higher vulnerability scores, while the United States has a vulnerability score of 5.31.
The UNICEF report underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to protect children from the escalating impacts of climate change, particularly in regions with high exposure and moderate vulnerability like India.
