Extreme heat is already costing South Asia the equivalent of 31 million full-time jobs annually and could reduce the region's economy by nearly 7 percent by 2050, according to a new World Bank report.
The report, "A Liveable Future: Protecting Jobs and Growth from Extreme Heat in South Asia's Cities," warns that rising temperatures pose a major threat to employment, productivity, and long-term economic growth, particularly as the region is expected to add 280 million working-age people by 2050.
According to the report, by 2070, around 520 million people in South Asia could face at least one month of dangerous heat each year four times the number affected today.
The World Bank said extreme heat is already reducing labour productivity, disrupting businesses, straining health systems and critical infrastructure, and undermining the competitiveness of the region's cities. Low-income households, informal workers, women, older people, and children are expected to bear the greatest burden.
"South Asia's cities are central to the region's future, but rising temperatures are putting jobs, livelihoods, and economic growth at risk," said Johannes Zutt, the World Bank's Vice President for South Asia.
He stressed that building heat-resilient cities is not only about protecting people but also about safeguarding jobs, improving productivity, attracting investment, and ensuring sustainable economic growth.
The report argues that extreme heat should no longer be treated as a seasonal emergency but as a long-term development challenge that must be integrated into urban planning, infrastructure investment, public policy, and private sector development.
It recommends a range of measures, including investing in heat-resilient infrastructure, strengthening Heat Action Plans, protecting vulnerable workers, expanding sustainable cooling, improving early warning systems, and mobilising greater public and private investment.
The report was prepared with support from the Resilient Asia Program (RAP), funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through its Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme. Additional support came from the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the City Resilience Program (CRP).
John Warburton, Climate Resilience Lead for Asia Pacific at the UK's FCDO, described extreme heat as a development crisis that is destroying livelihoods, harming public health, reducing productivity, and pushing vulnerable communities deeper into poverty.
The report concludes that while solutions such as Heat Action Plans, urban greening, resilient infrastructure, efficient cooling systems, and early warning mechanisms already exist, scaling them up will require stronger institutions, better coordination, and increased investment. It warns that the decisions governments make today will determine whether South Asia's cities continue to drive jobs, innovation, and economic growth or become increasingly constrained by rising temperatures.
