India recorded an average of six additional days each year of extreme heat that can harm pregnant women, according to a new report by Climate Central. Climate change accounted for nearly one-third of the average annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days over the past five years, as per the study.
Pregnancy heat-risk days refer to days when the temperature exceeds the average 95% of the time in that region. These temperatures can increase health risks for pregnant women, such as dehydration, preterm birth, or low birth weight.
With 32 days, Sikkim topped the list of pregnancy-related heat-risk days due to climate change. Goa and Kerala followed with 24 and 18 days, respectively. Mumbai saw 26 such days between 2020 and 2024, while Chennai, Bengaluru, and Pune each logged seven.
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Researchers analysed daily temperatures from 2020 to 2024 across 247 countries and territories and 940 cities to measure the rise in pregnancy heat-risk days.
The study found that in 222 out of 247 countries and territories, climate change has at least doubled the number of annual pregnancy heat-risk days over the past five years. In nearly one-third of countries and territories (78 out of 247), climate change added at least an extra month’s worth of pregnancy heat-risk days each year, from 2020 to 2024.
“Even a single day of extreme heat can raise the risk of serious pregnancy complications. Climate change is increasing extreme heat and stacking the odds against healthy pregnancies worldwide, especially in places where care is already hard to access,” said Dr Kristina Dahl, Vice President for Science at Climate Central.
“Extreme heat is now one of the most pressing threats to pregnant people worldwide, pushing more pregnancies into high-risk territory, especially in places already struggling with limited healthcare access. Cutting fossil fuel emissions is not just good for the planet; it’s a crucial step toward protecting pregnant people and newborns around the world,” said Bruce Bekkar, a women’s health physician and authority on climate change’s dangers to human health.
According to the study, nearly a third of countries experienced an additional month’s worth of dangerous pregnancy heat-risk days each year. The largest increases were observed in regions with limited access to health care, including the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
