A new global study has revealed a startling rise in dangerously hot days for pregnant women, with India recording some of the sharpest increases over the past five years. The analysis confirms that climate change is significantly contributing to health risks during pregnancy by increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat exposure.
Between 2020 and 2024, India experienced an average of six additional “pregnancy heat-risk days” annually that can be directly attributed to climate change. These days are defined as periods when daily maximum temperatures exceed the 95th percentile of historical local records, a threshold associated with increased risks of preterm birth and other adverse health outcomes for both mother and baby.
The report, compiled by Climate Central, analyzed temperature patterns across 247 countries and territories and over 900 cities. It found that climate change has driven a global rise in the number of dangerously hot days for pregnant individuals. In 90% of the countries studied, the number of such days has at least doubled compared to a climate scenario without global warming.
In India, certain regions stood out for experiencing particularly high increases. Sikkim topped the chart, with 32 additional pregnancy heat-risk days over five years. Goa followed with 24 days, while Kerala saw 18 extra days. Among India’s metro cities, Mumbai recorded 26 climate-induced pregnancy heat-risk days between 2020 and 2024. Chennai, Bengaluru, and Pune each experienced seven such days during the same period.
This surge is not merely a statistical trend it reflects a tangible and growing threat to maternal and neonatal health. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat during pregnancy is known to elevate the risks of complications such as preterm birth, low birth weight, dehydration, and cardiovascular stress. These risks are further compounded in regions with limited access to cooling, medical care, or clean water.
The vulnerability is especially pronounced in densely populated and low-income areas, where access to healthcare services is inadequate, and living conditions often lack climate-resilient infrastructure. Urban heat islands, limited greenery, and poor ventilation in homes make it harder for expecting mothers to avoid or recover from heat exposure.
The broader pattern revealed by the analysis also reflects a deepening divide in climate impacts. While all countries are affected, the burden is more severe in developing nations like India, where systemic health inequalities, high population densities, and underfunded public health infrastructure create additional layers of risk.
The study further underscores the urgency for policy and planning interventions that prioritize maternal health in the context of rising global temperatures. These include strengthening access to prenatal care during the heat season, issuing tailored heat advisories for pregnant women, ensuring widespread availability of cooling infrastructure, and integrating heat resilience into urban health planning.
This data-driven warning adds to mounting evidence that climate change is no longer a distant environmental issue it is a public health emergency unfolding in real-time. For pregnant women, the danger lies not just in the rising mercury but in the growing disconnect between climate science and actionable public health response.
With extreme heat projected to become even more frequent and intense in the coming decades, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, the need for urgent, targeted adaptation is clear. Failure to act now could mean a growing toll on maternal and infant health in the years ahead, turning what is already a crisis into a generational catastrophe.