Climate Disasters Disrupted Schooling for 171 Million Children in 2025

The findings come from UNICEF’s new analysis, Learning Interrupted: Global Snapshot of Climate-Related School Disruptions in 2025, which examined information from 106 countries and territories.

Climate hazards interrupted the education of more than 171 million students worldwide in 2025, meaning one in every ten children from pre-primary to upper secondary age faced school closures, damaged classrooms, shortened lessons, reduced attendance or other barriers to learning.

The findings come from UNICEF's new analysis, Learning Interrupted: Global Snapshot of Climate-Related School Disruptions in 2025, which examined information from 106 countries and territories. Storms, floods, heatwaves, droughts and wildfires repeatedly forced education systems to suspend classes, move lessons online or leave children without a practical way to continue learning.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that these emergencies reach far beyond missed lessons because they can destroy schools, displace families and push vulnerable children, particularly girls, out of education permanently.

Storms, floods and extreme heat emptied classrooms

Storms were the most common cause of climate-related education disruption during 2025, affecting 109 million students globally. Floods disrupted learning for at least 70 million children, while heatwaves affected approximately 50 million.

The consequences become clearer through the experience of 16-year-old Taudibura Garo in Papua New Guinea, whose school stands beside a creek. Floodwater can rise to knee level, enter the school and overwhelm pit toilets, creating unhealthy conditions that force students to stay away and miss lessons.

The burden was not shared equally. Students from countries at every income level experienced disruption, yet three-quarters of those affected lived in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, where education systems frequently lack the funding, infrastructure and emergency resources needed to keep children learning during climate shocks.

Pakistan experienced one of the year's largest disruptions when severe monsoon flooding in August delayed the return to school for more than 28 million students. A powerful Khamsin wind and dust storm caused Egypt to suspend classes nationwide for one day in April, affecting another 28 million learners.

Repeated emergencies left little time for recovery

Forty countries endured several rounds of climate-related school disruption during the year, placing added pressure on children, families and teachers who had little time to recover before the next emergency arrived.

Madagascar faced drought, tropical cyclones and floods that affected 280,000 students. In Spain, storms disrupted education for more than 500,000 students in the Valencian Community during March, followed by post-tropical Cyclone Gabrielle in September. Extreme heat interrupted classes elsewhere in the country during May and June, while Storm Alice caused further disruption in October.

Repeated closures can create learning gaps that are difficult to repair, particularly when families lose homes, livelihoods or access to transport. The damage can also follow children into adulthood, with UNICEF estimating that inaction could cost affected students at least $200 billion in lifetime earnings through weaker educational outcomes and reduced employment opportunities.

Girls face an especially high risk of never returning to school. Damaged sanitation facilities, displacement and falling household income can increase expectations that girls will collect water, care for relatives or take on domestic work, while prolonged absences may also raise the risk of child marriage.

Climate-resilient schools can protect children's futures

UNICEF says practical solutions are already available. Governments can include climate resilience in education planning, strengthen school buildings, prepare alternative learning arrangements for emergencies and teach children the skills needed to respond to a changing climate.

The organisation is calling for stronger domestic and international financing, safer infrastructure for students and teachers, improved climate and education data systems, and reliable plans that allow learning to continue during and after disasters.

Schools designed to withstand floods, storms and extreme heat can provide protection as well as education. Investing in resilient education systems gives children a better chance of remaining in class, completing their studies and building secure futures even as climate hazards grow more frequent and severe.