Climate change increasing pregnancy risks around the world due to extreme heat

Between 2020 and 2024, climate change increased the number of 'pregnancy heat-risk days'—days exceeding the 95th percentile of local temperatures—in every analyzed country. In 90% of countries and 63% of cities, these risk days at least doubled compared to a world without climate change. The most significant increases occurred in developing regions, particularly the Caribbean, where 15 countries saw an average of at least 60 additional risk days annually, representing roughly one-fifth of a typical pregnancy. Beyond heat, the report notes that climate-driven air pollution, flooding, and infrastructure damage further threaten maternal health and birth outcomes.

• Every one of the 247 countries analyzed experienced an increase in pregnancy heat-risk days due to climate change between 2020 and 2024, with all countries averaging at least five additional such days annually.
• Climate change at least doubled the average annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days for 90% of analyzed countries (222 out of 247) and 63% of cities (593 out of 940) during the 2020-2024 period.
• In 78 of the 247 analyzed countries and 169 of the 950 analyzed cities, climate change added an average of at least 30 additional pregnancy heat-risk days each year.
• The highest increases in pregnancy heat-risk days were concentrated in developing regions with limited healthcare access, specifically the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Central and South America and the Pacific Islands.
• Fifteen countries, primarily in the Caribbean, experienced an average of 60 or more additional pregnancy heat-risk days annually, which constitutes at least one-fifth of an average 280-day pregnancy.
• In certain locations, nearly all pregnancy heat-risk days experienced from 2020 to 2024 were attributed to climate change; examples include Palau, Guam, and Tuvalu.
• Climate change impacts maternal health through mechanisms other than heat, including PM2.5 air pollution linked to hypertensive disorders, flooding associated with pregnancy loss and low birth weight, and the destruction of healthcare infrastructure by disasters.

APA

Young, M., Trudeau, K., DeFonza, R., Elman, J., Tannenbaum, A., Dahl, K., Veitch, A., & Martin, M. (2025). Climate change increasing pregnancy risks around the world due to extreme heat. Climate Central. https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/4XB8ACtuuQBlUaIQoyi0AE/e45c4ebbbc14f460b48a7b12b58045e4/Climate_change_increasing_pregnancy_risks_around_the_world_due_to_extreme_heat__2020-2024_.pdf

Chicago

Young, Michelle, Kaitlyn Trudeau, Raina DeFonza, Julia Elman, Arielle Tannenbaum, Kristina Dahl, Abbie Veitch, and Megan Martin. Climate change increasing pregnancy risks around the world due to extreme heat. Climate Central, 2025. https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/4XB8ACtuuQBlUaIQoyi0AE/e45c4ebbbc14f460b48a7b12b58045e4/Climate_change_increasing_pregnancy_risks_around_the_world_due_to_extreme_heat__2020-2024_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Young |first1=Michelle |last2=Trudeau |first2=Kaitlyn |last3=DeFonza |first3=Raina |last4=Elman |first4=Julia |last5=Tannenbaum |first5=Arielle |last6=Dahl |first6=Kristina |last7=Veitch |first7=Abbie |last8=Martin |first8=Megan |title=Climate change increasing pregnancy risks around the world due to extreme heat |publisher=Climate Central |date=14 May 2025 |url=https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/4XB8ACtuuQBlUaIQoyi0AE/e45c4ebbbc14f460b48a7b12b58045e4/Climate_change_increasing_pregnancy_risks_around_the_world_due_to_extreme_heat__2020-2024_.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{young2025climate, author = {Young, Michelle and Trudeau, Kaitlyn and DeFonza, Raina and Elman, Julia and Tannenbaum, Arielle and Dahl, Kristina and Veitch, Abbie and Martin, Megan}, title = {{Climate change increasing pregnancy risks around the world due to extreme heat}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://assets.ctfassets.net/cxgxgstp8r5d/4XB8ACtuuQBlUaIQoyi0AE/e45c4ebbbc14f460b48a7b12b58045e4/Climate_change_increasing_pregnancy_risks_around_the_world_due_to_extreme_heat__2020-2024_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }