Unlivable: Confronting Extreme Urban Heat in Latin America and the Caribbean

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Latin America and the Caribbean face a new climate reality: rising temperatures, more frequent heatwaves, and record-breaking extremes. The number of extremely hot days-those above the 95th percentile-is increasing, with cities expected to experience between 66 and 116 additional hot days per year by the end of the century. This shift is already taking a toll: heat-related mortality has risen by 140%over the past two decades, and in 2023 alone, an estimated 48,000older adults died prematurely from heat-related causes.

The World Bank report "Uninhabitable: Confronting Extreme Urban Heat in Latin America and the Caribbean" warns that climate change-combined with the urban heat island effect-is intensifying thermal risks in one of the world's most urbanized regions, where 82% of people will live in cities by 2025. Millions of residents live in precarious housing with poor insulation and limited access to cooling.

The report analyzes projected temperature increases and their impacts on health, infrastructure, and urban economies in Latin America and the Caribbean. It also proposes urgent actions to mitigate heat effects, protect the most vulnerable, and strengthen the climate resilience of cities across the region.

Key findings

• Cities across the region are getting hotter. Temperatures are rising across all climate zones, and daily urban highs are projected to increase by 2.3 to 2.7°C by the end of the century. The Caribbean and Amazon Basin will be among the hardest hit.
• Urban heat is deadly and unequal. It causes tens of thousands of deaths each year and disproportionately affects older adults and vulnerable groups. Low-income households are most exposed, often living in neighborhoods with little green space, poor-quality housing, and limited mobility options beyond walking or public transport.
• Infrastructure and services are unprepared. Power grids, transport systems, housing, and schools were not designed for extreme heat, leading to blackouts, service failures, learning disruptions, and widespread thermal discomfort.
• Urban heat threatens prosperity. Extreme heat reduces labor productivity, raises health costs, and is already slowing economic activity in many cities-with projected GDP losses in major urban centers reaching 5% or more in the coming decades.

Time to act

• Solutions exist-and cities are already moving forward. Many are investing in heat resilience, from expanding green areas to adapting housing. Scaling up these efforts can save lives, protect economies, and create new opportunities for decent work.
• Work must be part of the solution. Up to 70% of workers in Latin America and the Caribbean are exposed to extreme heat. Strengthening occupational health and safety standards, adaptive social protection systems, and impact-based early warning systems can save lives, protect incomes, and ensure that resilience investments also generate quality jobs.
• Design cooler urban spaces. Expand tree cover, shaded corridors, and parks; retrofit buildings with green or reflective roofs; and apply passive design principles to improve ventilation and reduce indoor heat.
• Strengthen resilient public services and housing. Modernize power grids, water systems, schools, transport, and affordable housing to withstand prolonged heatwaves, ensuring continuous services and safe living conditions.

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