61% of Indian children face an extra month of heat stress every year due to climate change: Study
A new global study has found that 145 million Indian children, or 61% of those aged up to nine, face at least one additional month of heat stress every year due to climate change. The findings underline the growing health risks from dangerous humid heat, with the number of affected children projected to rise sharply as global temperatures increase.
- Aug 29, 2026,
- Updated Aug 29, 2026 5:49 PM IST
As many as 145 million children in India, or 61% of those aged up to nine, are exposed to at least one additional month of heat stress every year because of climate change, according to new global research first reported by news agency PTI.
The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, highlight the disproportionate burden of rising heat on children, particularly in tropical and developing regions. The study is the first global analysis to quantify heat exposure directly linked to climate change across different age groups, both at present and under future warming scenarios.
Children face growing exposure to dangerous heat
The researchers found that climate change has already doubled the number of children aged up to nine who experience at least five total months of dangerous heat stress each year. Globally, that number has risen from 59 million to 118 million, representing half of all children in the age group.
Across the world, up to 560 million children aged 0-9, or 43% of this population, are experiencing at least one additional month of heat stress annually because of human-induced climate change.
The exposure is significantly higher than among older populations. Around 190 million people aged 60-69, or 30%, are estimated to experience the additional heat-related threat.
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Why humid heat is particularly dangerous
The study focuses on humid heat, which researchers say poses a greater danger than dry heat because high humidity prevents the human body from cooling efficiently through sweating.
Prolonged exposure can disrupt normal bodily functions and increase the risk of heatstroke, dehydration and organ failure, while also aggravating underlying health conditions.
For children, repeated exposure to dangerous heat can therefore become a cumulative health concern rather than simply a seasonal discomfort.
India faces a sharper future risk
India's current exposure could increase substantially as global temperatures rise.
Under a scenario of 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, the number of Indian children experiencing at least one additional month of heat stress annually is projected to rise to 166 million, or 74% of children.
At 2 degrees Celsius of warming, the figure could climb to 169 million, or 96% of Indian children.
The projections underscore how even relatively small increases in global average temperatures can translate into substantially greater exposure to dangerous heat among India's youngest population.
ALSO READ: Himalayan disaster: No warning, no trigger. What triggered the deadly Nepal-Tibet floods?
Poorer children face fewer protections
The researchers said climate change is increasing humid heat particularly strongly in tropical regions and poorer countries, where populations are younger and therefore a larger share of people exposed are children.
“Children in developing countries face disproportionate exposure to climate extremes now and into the future, despite contributing the least to historical greenhouse gas emissions,” lead author Rosa Pietroiusti, a PhD researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, said.
She also pointed to poverty, inadequate housing, limited access to cooling and overstretched healthcare systems as factors that can leave children with fewer options to protect themselves from extreme heat.
South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Africa currently have the highest numbers of children exposed to dangerous heat stress, the researchers said.
The findings put India's growing heat burden in sharper focus, suggesting that climate adaptation will need to address not only extreme heat events but also the increasing number of days when children are exposed to potentially dangerous heat conditions.
MUST READ: El Niño 2026: How a record-strength event could affect India, monsoon & global weather in 2027
As many as 145 million children in India, or 61% of those aged up to nine, are exposed to at least one additional month of heat stress every year because of climate change, according to new global research first reported by news agency PTI.
The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, highlight the disproportionate burden of rising heat on children, particularly in tropical and developing regions. The study is the first global analysis to quantify heat exposure directly linked to climate change across different age groups, both at present and under future warming scenarios.
Children face growing exposure to dangerous heat
The researchers found that climate change has already doubled the number of children aged up to nine who experience at least five total months of dangerous heat stress each year. Globally, that number has risen from 59 million to 118 million, representing half of all children in the age group.
Across the world, up to 560 million children aged 0-9, or 43% of this population, are experiencing at least one additional month of heat stress annually because of human-induced climate change.
The exposure is significantly higher than among older populations. Around 190 million people aged 60-69, or 30%, are estimated to experience the additional heat-related threat.
MUST READ: After 2024 bleaching: Super El Niño likely to push coral reefs closer to the brink
Why humid heat is particularly dangerous
The study focuses on humid heat, which researchers say poses a greater danger than dry heat because high humidity prevents the human body from cooling efficiently through sweating.
Prolonged exposure can disrupt normal bodily functions and increase the risk of heatstroke, dehydration and organ failure, while also aggravating underlying health conditions.
For children, repeated exposure to dangerous heat can therefore become a cumulative health concern rather than simply a seasonal discomfort.
India faces a sharper future risk
India's current exposure could increase substantially as global temperatures rise.
Under a scenario of 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, the number of Indian children experiencing at least one additional month of heat stress annually is projected to rise to 166 million, or 74% of children.
At 2 degrees Celsius of warming, the figure could climb to 169 million, or 96% of Indian children.
The projections underscore how even relatively small increases in global average temperatures can translate into substantially greater exposure to dangerous heat among India's youngest population.
ALSO READ: Himalayan disaster: No warning, no trigger. What triggered the deadly Nepal-Tibet floods?
Poorer children face fewer protections
The researchers said climate change is increasing humid heat particularly strongly in tropical regions and poorer countries, where populations are younger and therefore a larger share of people exposed are children.
“Children in developing countries face disproportionate exposure to climate extremes now and into the future, despite contributing the least to historical greenhouse gas emissions,” lead author Rosa Pietroiusti, a PhD researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, said.
She also pointed to poverty, inadequate housing, limited access to cooling and overstretched healthcare systems as factors that can leave children with fewer options to protect themselves from extreme heat.
South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Africa currently have the highest numbers of children exposed to dangerous heat stress, the researchers said.
The findings put India's growing heat burden in sharper focus, suggesting that climate adaptation will need to address not only extreme heat events but also the increasing number of days when children are exposed to potentially dangerous heat conditions.
MUST READ: El Niño 2026: How a record-strength event could affect India, monsoon & global weather in 2027