More than 171 million students globally – or 1 in 10 – from pre-primary to upper secondary age had their schooling disrupted by climate hazards in 2025, according to a recent analysis released by UNICEF. 


“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,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.



According to the analysis, storms were the most common cause of school disruptions last year, affecting 109 million students globally. Floods affected at least 70 million students, while heatwaves disrupted schooling for approximately 50 million children.


In Pakistan, for instance, which has been cited as one of the most affected countries in the analysis, over 28 million students were impacted in August last year due to severe monsoon floods, making it one of the largest climate-related education disruptions recorded in 2025. The report also cited Egypt, where a powerful Khamsin (wind and dust) storm prompted a nationwide suspension of classes for one day in April, also affecting more than 28 million students. 

According to the data, 40 countries experienced multiple rounds of climate-related school disruptions throughout the year. Madagascar, for example, faced rounds of drought, tropical cyclones, and floods affecting 280,000 students during the year. In Spain, more than 500,000 students in the Valencian Community were affected by storms in March, followed by post-tropical Cyclone Gabrielle in September. For thousands of students across the rest of the country, extreme heat disrupted classes in May and June, and Storm Alice impacted schooling in October. 

UNICEF is calling on governments and partners to scale-up efforts and protect education from the worst impacts of climate hazards by:

• Strengthening the climate-resilience of education systems to support continuity of learning during emergencies.

• Increasing domestic and international financing for education resilience.

• Investing in climate-resilient educational infrastructure to protect students and educators.

• Equipping children and young people with the knowledge and skills to build resilience and drive climate action.

• Strengthening climate and education data systems to better anticipate, respond to, and recover from disruptions.
 

“Climate hazards threaten children’s lives and futures,” said Russell. “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.”