By Abbas Nazil
Nearly 300 million people across Africa endured life-threatening heat in the past three months, highlighting the region’s vulnerability to climate change, according to a new analysis by Climate Central.
The report, released on March 19, 2025, utilized the Climate Shift Index (CSI) to assess how human-caused climate change has intensified heat exposure globally.
The findings indicate that Africa bore the brunt of these rising temperatures, with millions experiencing extreme and prolonged heat.
The analysis examined daily temperatures in 220 countries and found that in 110 of them—half of those studied—people experienced climate change-driven heat for at least one-third of the past three months.
Worldwide, approximately 1.8 billion people, or 22 percent of the global population, faced elevated temperatures daily between December 2024 and February 2025.
On February 28, 2025, the impact peaked, with 3 billion people—37 percent of the global population—exposed to extreme temperatures classified at CSI level 2 or higher, meaning they were at least twice as likely to occur due to climate change.
Africa emerged as the most affected continent, with one billion people across 36 countries experiencing daily temperatures influenced by climate change for at least one-third of the season. In 12 of these countries, extreme temperatures persisted between 70 and 87 days.
Rwanda was among the worst-hit, with 14 million people enduring 87 days of heat significantly impacted by climate change, while Ethiopia recorded 74 days of extreme heat exposure.
The report underscores the alarming increase in “risky heat days”—when temperatures exceed the 90th percentile of historical local records from 1991 to 2020.
The average person globally experienced six such days from December 2024 to February 2025, five of which were directly attributed to climate change.
Without human-induced warming, the global average would have been just one risky heat day during this period.
Africa accounted for the majority of individuals facing extended heat stress, with 293 million people—74 percent of the global total—exposed to 30 or more risky heat days.
Eight of the ten most affected countries were in Africa, including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, and Cameroon.
Comoros topped the list of African nations experiencing the most additional risky heat days due to climate change, with 52, followed by Liberia (45), Equatorial Guinea (42), and Ghana (40).
The study highlights Africa’s disproportionate climate burden despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions.
With extreme heat events becoming more frequent and severe, urgent adaptation and resilience strategies are necessary to mitigate the escalating risks to human health and livelihoods across the continent.