UNICEF has reported that more than 171 million students globally, equivalent to one in 10 children from pre-primary to upper secondary age, had their education disrupted by climate hazards in 2025.
The findings contained in UNICEF’s new analysis, Learning Interrupted: Global Snapshot of Climate-Related School Disruptions in 2025, examined data from 106 countries and territories.
The analysis found that storms, floods, heatwaves, droughts and wildfires disrupted education in multiple ways, including forcing schools to suspend classes, damaging educational facilities, reducing attendance and instructional time, and increasing the risk of children dropping out.
The severity of the disruption shows how climate hazards are increasingly affecting education, beyond immediate physical damage to institutions. For millions of youngsters, severe weather can disrupt learning for days or weeks, relocate families, and generate financial and social constraints that make returning to school more difficult.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, “for millions of children, climate hazards do more than disrupt lessons, they destroy schools, uproot families, and push the most vulnerable children, especially girls, out of the classroom for good.”
Storms were the most common cause of school disruption in 2025, affecting 109 million students globally. Floods affected at least 70 million students, while heatwaves disrupted schooling for approximately 50 million children.
The effects were particularly significant in countries with limited resources to prepare schools for climate-related emergencies or maintain learning when disasters occur.
UNICEF found that three-quarters of students affected by climate-related school disruptions lived in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where education systems often have fewer resources to protect infrastructure and sustain learning during emergencies.
The disruptions were also not isolated incidents. According to the analysis, 40 countries experienced multiple rounds of climate-related disruptions throughout 2025, leaving students repeatedly exposed to interruptions in their education.
Climate Shocks Deepen Education Inequality
The consequences of climate-related school disruptions were evident across several countries, with extreme weather events affecting millions of students at once.
Pakistan was among the countries most affected by the disruptions recorded in the analysis. Severe monsoon floods in August delayed the return to school for more than 28 million students, making it one of the largest climate-related education disruptions recorded during 2025.
In Egypt, a powerful Khamsin wind and dust storm resulted in a nationwide suspension of classes for one day in April, affecting more than 28 million students.
Other countries experienced repeated disruptions from different climate hazards. Madagascar, for example, faced drought, tropical cyclones and floods during the year, affecting approximately 280,000 students.
Spain also recorded multiple disruptions. More than 500,000 students in the Valencian Community were affected by storms in March, followed by the effects of post-tropical Cyclone Gabrielle in September. Extreme heat subsequently disrupted classes across parts of the country in May and June, while Storm Alice affected schooling in October.
UNICEF warned that learning losses and higher dropout rates can reduce workforce productivity, slow economic growth and make it more difficult for countries to reduce poverty.
There may be serious financial repercussions as well. According to the analysis, pupils who experienced school disruptions due to climate change in 2025 may lose at least US$200 billion in lifetime earnings if nothing is done.
Additionally, children do not share the responsibility equally. When school closures or disruptions are caused by climate threats, girls are more likely to drop out.
Girls may have more caregiving and water-collection obligations if schools and sanitary facilities are damaged, they are relocated, and their household income is reduced. In addition to increasing the likelihood of child marriage, these influences can make it more difficult for girls to resume their education once classes resume.
This creates a cycle in which a climate event that initially causes a temporary school closure can develop into a much longer disruption to a child’s education.
UNICEF, however, noted that measures already being implemented in some settings can help protect learning from climate hazards. These include integrating climate resilience into national education planning, strengthening school infrastructure and ensuring that learning continues during and after emergencies.
The organisation also highlighted the importance of incorporating climate education into school curricula so that children and young people develop the knowledge and skills needed to adapt to a changing climate.
Building on these approaches, UNICEF is calling on governments and development partners to strengthen the climate resilience of education systems and increase domestic and international financing for education resilience.
It is also urging greater investment in climate-resilient school infrastructure, stronger climate and education data systems, and efforts to equip children and young people with the knowledge and skills needed to build resilience and contribute to climate action.
According to UNICEF, “Climate hazards threaten children’s lives and futures. To protect education for children today and for future generations, we must invest in schools and education systems that are built to withstand climate shocks.”
READ ALSO: Fitch Upgrades Ghana Banks as Credit Profiles Stage Major Recovery
