Climate hazards disrupted school for 1 in 10 students in 2025: UNICEF

A UNICEF report released Thursday finds that climate hazards interrupted education for over 171 million students worldwide in 2025, equal to roughly one in 10 learners from pre-primary through upper secondary. The agency drew its analysis from data covering 106 countries and territories and identified a range of weather- and climate-related events that affected schooling. UNICEF said storms, floods, heatwaves, droughts and wildfires led to school closures, damaged facilities, reduced instruction time, lower attendance and heightened dropout risk. The agency warned that for many children these events do more than pause lessons: they can destroy school buildings, displace families and deepen vulnerabilities among those least able to cope. The report highlights a disproportionate impact on girls, citing increased risks of leaving school because of insecurity, unsafe learning environments and pressures such as child marriage. Damage to sanitation and school facilities, displacement and reductions in household income can push girls into extra caregiving or water-collection duties, making a return to class more difficult. UNICEF’s analysis shows storms were the single largest cause of disruption in 2025, affecting about 109 million students, while floods affected at least 70 million and heatwaves disrupted schooling for roughly 50 million. The agency noted the 2025 total is lower than its estimate for the previous year — nearly 250 million children across 85 countries — and said the comparison is affected by a methodological change: the new analysis relies on information from aid agencies and local media rather than government figures. UNICEF also estimated that inaction could lead to at least $200 billion in lost lifetime earnings among the students whose education was interrupted in 2025, and urged governments and partners to invest in climate-resilient school infrastructure and related measures.