Welsh children exposed to extreme heatwaves at higher rate than UK average

Nation.Cymru Staff

Eighty-four per cent of children in Wales have already experienced an extreme heatwave this year, significantly higher than the UK average 75%, new analysis has found.

According to the analysis from Save the Children, in the first six months of 2026, the number of children in the UK exposed to extreme heatwaves has already exceeded the total in any previous calendar year since 1995.

The charity analysed satellite imagery of surface temperatures covering every part of the world, using the aid agency’s definition of an extreme heatwave as three consecutive days experiencing a temperature in the top 1% of all those recorded in that location in the previous 30 years.

The data, published today, shows that following early summer heatwaves, three in every four children (75%) – and 72% of the UK’s population as a whole – experienced extreme heatwaves, amounting to over 10 million children in the UK and 52 million altogether.

Across Wales, 84%of children have been exposed to extreme heatwaves so far this year, while in London and the West Midlands the figure stands at 100%, in the South West of England at 93%, followed by East Midlands (91%), and South East (89%).

With temperatures having reached 37° C in some places, more than 2,700 people in England and Wales died with a likely link to the heatwaves.

Thousands of school children have been affected by closures, with reports of heat exhaustion in newborns, and wildfires that have been burning on Blaenavon’s Mynydd Garnclochdy, Maerdy mountain in the Rhondda, and several in Flintshire and Wrecsam which are now understood to be under control.

Globally, 132 million children and over 631 million people have experienced heatwaves in the first half of 2026 with numbers expected to increase in the coming months.

The charity’s analysis reveals that across the globe heatwaves now reach substantially more children than a generation ago.

In the 1990s and 2000s, an average of 200 to 230 million children were exposed to an extreme heatwave each year — around one in ten worldwide. In the 2020s so far, the average is 360 million a year or one in seven.

Two of the four worst years since 1990- the start of the period examined – came in the last three years were in the past three years.

As the new Prime Minister takes office, temperatures predicted to stay high and El Niño strengthens, Save the Children calls on the UK Government to protect children’s rights by showing credible climate leadership at home and abroad.

Policies such as fossil fuel expansion are incompatible with the UK’s international commitment to the temperature goal of 1.5° C and pose significant risks on children’s health and wellbeing.

Children have told Save the Children how the heat is making it hard to sleep, reducing appetite and affecting children’s mood leading to social isolation.

Families recently surveyed by Save the Children found the costs of essentials needed to protect children from heat can be out of reach for some on low incomes, with one in eight (14%) parents saying they would struggle to buy even basic summer essentials such as suncream and sunhats for their children.

For families on the lowest incomes, hot weather becomes more challenging as they are likely to be in smaller homes with less access to outdoor space or are not in a position to spend money on days out needed to keep children cool in the summer holidays.

Zainab, 16, a Save the Children Youth Advisor, said: “For many people, particularly those living with chronic illnesses, this heat is not simply uncomfortable, it is dangerous.

“For some, a heatwave means an ice cream, a day in the park or turning on a fan. For others, it’s dehydration, exhaustion, dizziness and pain. Medication can become harder to manage. Existing illnesses becoming more severe.

“I know that because I live it. I have lived with Type 1 diabetes for most of my life. When temperatures rise, managing my health becomes harder.

“My body does not get to experience extreme heat as a minor inconvenience. The climate crisis does not stay outside my window. It enters through my body. Climate change does not affect everyone equally, but when the temperature rises, inequality rises with it.”

Shruti Agarwal, Senior Climate Finance and Sustainable Economies Adviser Save the Children, added: “These statistics are a stark reminder that we are living through a climate catastrophe, and no one is exempt.

“Extreme heat is disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of children around the world. Heatwaves have been linked to thousands of deaths; children have missed out on school, and wildfires are burning.

“Children living in low-income families are facing the most challenging conditions and are most likely to be exposed to extreme heat, air pollution, and food insecurity.

“No child should be missing out on their education because their classroom is too hot or the journey to school is unsafe. For many families, access to nature and safe play areas to keep cool are out of reach.

“Science is clear – fossil fuel emissions have worsened the heatwaves. We need to see an urgent and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels. Our health, education, and food systems must also be made strong enough to cope with climate shocks.

“Climate change is a global issue; to fight global issues we need international solidarity and co-operation.  A climate-resilient world benefits everyone, including the UK.”

Save the Children is calling on all countries, including the UK, to support school safety and strengthen the resilience of essential services critical for children’s development and wellbeing in the face of the climate emergency.

The charity is currently working with partners and communities in the UK to help prepare children and families in the event of extreme weather, with a particular focus on low-income families who are being hit the hardest by climate change.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.