According to a recent UNICEF report, around 43.1 million children in 44 countries were internally displaced due to weather-related disasters between 2016 and 2021. That's roughly 20,000 children per day.

The report "Children Displaced in a Changing Climate" identifies for the first time the global number of children who were forced to leave their homes between 2016 and 2021 due to floods, storms, droughts and wildfires. The analysis also includes projections for the next 30 years. It is estimated that 96 million children will be internally displaced by river flooding alone.

In absolute numbers, China and the Philippines are among the countries where the most children were internally displaced. Contributing factors include extreme weather events, the high proportion of minors in the population, as well as advances in reporting and evacuation capacities. Relative to the share of children in the overall population, children in small island states such as Dominica and Vanuatu were most severely affected by storms, while those in Somalia and South Sudan were most affected by floods.

"It's terrifying for children when a dangerous wildfire, storm or flood devastates their surroundings," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "The experience of fear and its impacts can be particularly devastating for children who have no choice but to flee. They worry about whether they'll be able to return home or go back to school, and whether they'll be displaced again. Displacement may have saved their lives, but it is a profoundly distressing experience. Just as the impacts of climate change are growing in scale, so too will climate-related displacement. We have the means and the knowledge to address this escalating challenge for children, but we are acting far too slowly. We must step up our efforts to better prepare vulnerable communities to protect children, and to support those who have already been forced to leave their homes."

Read more about this at: unicef.de