Girls face higher dropout risk from climate shocks: Unicef

Girls are at greater risk of dropping out of school when heatwaves, storms or wildfires linked to climate change disrupt education, UNICEF said Thursday.

The UN children's agency said its analysis suggested that one in 10 students, or more than 171 million students in 106 countries or territories, had their education disrupted by extreme weather last year.

UNICEF said girls were worst affected when schools were damaged, classes were cancelled or education moved online. It said damage to schools and sanitation facilities, displacement and lost family income could add caregiving and water-collection duties for girls and increase the risk of child marriage, making it harder for them to return to class.

According to the analysis, storms were the most common cause of disruption last year, affecting 109 million students worldwide. Floods affected at least 70 million, while heatwaves disrupted schooling for about 50 million young people.

UNICEF said the 2025 figures were lower than its analysis for the previous year, when it said nearly 250 million children in 85 countries were affected by climate hazards. The agency said it had changed its method, using information from aid agencies and local media rather than government figures.

UNICEF said about one billion children, or about half the world's children, live in countries at very high risk of climate and environmental shocks. It estimated that lost learning and effects on literacy and numeracy could lead to lifetime income losses of at least $200 billion and worsen global inequalities.

The agency urged governments and partners to spend more on education facilities that can withstand climate and environmental hazards.