Every child in Bangladesh exposed to climate hazard, 90% face multiple risks: Unicef

Every child in Bangladesh is now exposed to at least one climate hazard, while nearly nine in ten face multiple overlapping climate risks, according to Unicef's 2026 Children's Climate Risk Report released on Tuesday.

The report found that 5.9 crore children (100%) in Bangladesh are exposed to at least one climate hazard, including riverine floods, droughts and tropical storms. Additionally, 5.3 crore children, or 89.5% of the country's total children, are exposed to at least three climate shocks simultaneously.

In Bangladesh, the most common overlapping hazards include riverine floods, tropical storms, drought and extreme heat, collectively exposing more than 2.4 crore children to multiple concurrent risks.

Drought emerges as the most widespread threat, affecting 5.79 crore children (98.44%). Among them, 5.4 crore (91.83%) face agricultural drought, while 5.3 crore (90.26%) are exposed to meteorological drought.

Tropical storms affect 5.4 crore children in Bangladesh (91.23%), while riverine flooding impacts 3.2 crore children (54.18%).

The report said, "In countries with large child and youth populations, such as Bangladesh, India, Nigeria and Pakistan, even when the percentage exposure appears moderate in some cases, the absolute number of affected children remains extremely high."

The report also highlights that countries with major agriculture-dependent economies, such as Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tanzania, bear the highest numbers of children exposed to both agricultural and meteorological droughts.

Bangladeshi children most hazard-exposed globally

According to the report, nearly 80% of global child exposure to riverine floods is concentrated in just 10 countries, including Bangladesh, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan and the Philippines. Extreme heat is also a major concern, with 4.9 crore children (82.87%) exposed in Bangladesh.

On the global climate risk ranking, Bangladesh scores 9.38 out of 10 on Unicef's hazard exposure index, placing it fourth among assessed countries, behind Myanmar (10), Pakistan (9.44) and Viet Nam (9.41). India follows closely with a score of 9.21.

The index assesses exposure to multiple climate hazards, including floods, droughts, storms, heatwaves, fires, sand and dust storms, as well as climate-sensitive risks such as vector-borne diseases and air pollution (PM2.5).

Half of children worldwide face multiple climate hazards

Globally, nearly half of all children, about 1.1 billion, are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards, the report warns. While almost every child faces at least one climate risk, more than 4 million children could face up to six simultaneous threats.

Drought, extreme heat and heatwaves form the most widespread combination, affecting over 296 million children worldwide, followed by drought, extreme heat and tropical storms, which expose more than 115 million children.