Girls are at greater risk of dropping out of education when their schools are hit by heatwaves, storms or wildfires linked to climate change, the UN children’s agency said yesterday.

Unicef analysis suggested that one in 10 or more than 171 million students in 106 countries or territories had their education disrupted by extreme weather last year.

But the agency said girls were worst affected when schools were damaged, classes cancelled or education switched online. “Girls are at greater risk of dropping out when climate hazards disrupt or close schools,” it said.