Cooling Access Risk Overview
Over 1.12 billion people face high risk from lack of cooling access — spanning thermal comfort, food cold chains, and vaccine storage. Heat already kills an estimated 546,000 people annually, and the global AC stock is projected to triple by 2050.
1.12B
People at High Risk
SEforALL 2023
546K
Annual Heat Deaths
Lancet 2025
3×
AC Stock Growth by 2050
IEA
7%+
Global GHG from Cooling
IEA / UNEP
655M
No Electricity Access
IEA 2024
190K
Deaths Averted by AC
WHO
Map Layers
Cooling Risk Index
Heat Mortality
AC Adoption Rate
Cooling Degree Days
Urban Heat Exposure
Regional Breakdown
Global Overview
All regions
1.12B
Sub-Saharan Africa
Highest access gap · Rapid urbanization
380M
South Asia
Extreme heat · High population density
410M
Southeast Asia
Humid heat · Growing AC demand
180M
Middle East & N. Africa
Extreme dry heat · High AC penetration
95M
Latin America & Caribbean
Urban heat islands · Growing risk
65M
H Heuristics · Climate Adaptation & Cooling Atlas · 2026
Cooling Risk
Heat Mortality
AC Adoption
Urban Exposure
Cooling Access Risk Index
Low RiskHigh Risk