World News
Climate hazards disrupted schooling for over 171 million children in 2025
Al Jazeera reports that UNICEF found climate disruptions affected one in 10 global students.
The short version
- UNICEF found that climate hazards interrupted education for over 171 million students globally in 2025, or one in 10 children.[Al Jazeera]
- Three-quarters of the affected students reside in low- and lower-middle-income countries, with storms serving as the primary cause.[Al Jazeera]
- Total reported disruptions fell from 250 million the previous year due to a change in UNICEF's tracking methodology.[Al Jazeera]
- The agency warned that failing to act could cost affected students at least $200 billion in lost lifetime earnings.[Al Jazeera]
Key facts
- Climate hazards disrupted education for more than 171 million students, or one in 10 globally, in 2025.[Al Jazeera]
- Low- and lower-middle-income nations are home to 75 percent of the affected students.[Al Jazeera]
- Storms were the primary driver of closures, affecting 109 million children, alongside floods and heatwaves.[Al Jazeera]
- UNICEF estimated that inaction on climate disruptions could lead to at least $200 billion in lost lifetime earnings.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- Reported counts dropped from 250 million partly because UNICEF switched from government data to aid agency and media reports.[Al Jazeera]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.