Africa’s health in a warming world

Evidence, urgency and what to do next

- TAFADZWA MABHAUDHI

CLIMATE change is increasingly destabilising the planetary systems and environmental conditions on which human health and life depend.

The recently published 2025 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report shows that increasing global temperatures and the growing size of vulnerable populations — infants younger than one year and adults older than 65 years - have led to a 63% increase in heat-related deaths since the 1990s. Between 2012 and 2021, heat-related fatalities reached an average of 546 000 deaths a year, most of which occurred in Africa. This is the reality for millions who live and work in the hottest regions on the continent.

The indicators in the report tell the story of a growing danger in households, workplaces and broader communities. The data shows that heat exposure is eroding people's ability to work outdoors, exercise safely and sleep well at night. These disruptions affect both physical and mental health, affecting livelihoods that are already fragile. For African communities, where subsistence agriculture and outdoor labour are central to income and survival, the exposure is unavoidable. Long days in the sun, limited access to water and sanitation, and poor housing conditions converge to amplify heat-related harm. The combined pressures of poverty, unemployment and inequality increase that vulnerability.