More than 171 million students had their schooling disrupted by climate-related hazards in 2025, meaning roughly one in every 10 children from pre-primary to upper-secondary school age was affected, according to a new UNICEF analysis.
The figure, drawn from 106 countries and territories, highlights the growing pressure extreme weather is placing on education systems, as storms, floods, heatwaves, droughts and wildfires force schools to close, suspend classes, shorten instructional time, reduce attendance and, in some cases, shift learning online.
Storms accounted for the largest share of the disruption, affecting 109 million students worldwide. Floods affected at least 70 million, while heatwaves disrupted schooling for approximately 50 million children. UNICEF notes that these figures overlap, as some students experienced more than one climate-related disruption during the year.
The disruption is not being felt equally. Girls face greater risks when climate hazards close or damage schools. Displacement, loss of household income and damage to school and sanitation facilities can push more caregiving and water-collection responsibilities onto girls, making it harder for them to return to class. UNICEF warns that these pressures can also increase the risk of child marriage
The impact was disproportionately concentrated in low income countries. Three-quarters of the students affected lived in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where education systems often have fewer resources to protect schools and keep learning going during climate emergencies.
According to the report,severe monsoon flooding experienced in August in Pakistan, delayed the return to school for more than 28 million students, making it one of the largest climate-related disruptions to education recorded in 2025.
In Egypt, a powerful Khamsin wind and dust storm forced a nationwide suspension of classes for one day in April, affecting more than 28 million students.
For millions of children, however, the disruption did not end with a single school closure.UNICEF found that 40 countries experienced multiple rounds of climate-related school disruptions during 2025. Madagascar, for example, faced drought, tropical cyclones and floods that affected about 280,000 students.
Spain also experienced repeated disruptions. More than 500,000 students in the Valencian Community were affected by storms in March, while post-tropical Cyclone Gabrielle disrupted schooling in September. Extreme heat affected classes in parts of the country in May and June, followed by Storm Alice in October.
UNICEF estimates that failure to address learning losses and higher dropout rates linked to the disruptions could result in at least US$200 billion in lost lifetime earnings for students whose schooling was affected by climate hazards in 2025.
The disruption to education also comes against a wider climate-risk picture for children.
UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026, released in June, found that nearly half of the world’s children, or 1.1 billion, are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards, threatening their health, education and survival.
The latest analysis suggests that protecting education from climate change will require more than rebuilding schools after disasters.
UNICEF says some approaches are already helping to protect learning, including integrating climate resilience into national education planning, strengthening school infrastructure, maintaining learning during and after disruptions, and incorporating climate education into school curricula.
The agency is calling on governments and partners to strengthen the resilience of education systems, increase domestic and international financing for education resilience, invest in climate-resilient infrastructure, equip young people with skills to adapt and take climate action, and improve climate and education data systems to help authorities anticipate and respond to disruptions.
