Sizzling cities getting hotter

The number of days per year with temperatures reaching 35°C in 20 of the world’s largest capital cities – collectively home to some 300 million people – has risen 52% over the past 30 years


TOP 20 MOST POPULOUS CAPITAL CITIES
(number of days each with temperatures above 35°C, 1994-2023)

1 Delhi			4,222
2 Bangkok		3,447
3 Cairo			2,141 
4 Tehran		2,095
5 Dhaka			1,242
6 Kuala Lumpur		943
7 Manila		927
8 Beijing 		487 
9 Kinshasa 		349
10 Jakarta 		348 
11 Tokyo 		102
12 Seoul 		84 
13 Paris 		65
14 Buenos Aires 	63 
15 Luanda 		45 
16 Moscow 		17 
17 London 		7 
18 Mexico City 		2 
19 Lima 		0 
20 Bogota 		0

 
CUMULATIVE TOTAL NUMBER OF DAYS OVER 35°C
(measured across world’s 20 most populous capital cities, 1994-2023)

Actual data 
Annualised trend line

800 
700					     738 
600 					   655.25
500 468
400				Up 52% in 30 years*
300 430.50
   94 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 


*Based on annualised trend line 


Sources: Reuters, IIED, Sustainable Views 
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