More than 40 per cent of countries worldwide have reported climate-related changes in the prevalence and/or severity of skin disease, with lower-income countries disproportionately affected, according to a major international study spanning 136 countries.
Despite growing awareness of climate-related skin disease, its global scope and clinical implications remain poorly understood. The study, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress 2026, invited representatives from 194 World Health Organisation member countries to participate in the Global Access to Skin Health Observatory (SkinObservatory) study, a collaboration between the International League of Dermatological Societies, and L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty. Participants shared insights on climate impacts and the prevalence of climate change-related skin diseases in their countries.
Data were collected from 136 countries spanning all four World Bank income groups. Overall, 42.6 per cent reported changes in the prevalence and/or severity of skin disease due to climate change, with significant differences according to income level. More than half of low-income (55.6%) and lower-middle-income countries (52.5%) reported climate-related changes in skin disease, compared with 43.8 per cent of upper middle-income and 28.3 per cent of high-income countries.
Geographical differences were also substantial, with changes most frequently reported in the Western Pacific Region (64.7%), followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, and South-East Asian regions (60.0% each), compared with 16.1 per cent in the European Region. In the African Region, 42.9 per cent of respondents were unsure about the impact of climate change on skin disease, highlighting potential gaps in surveillance and evidence.
Among the 58 countries reporting climate-associated effects on skin disease, 81.0 per cent reported increases in heat rashes, and 75.9 per cent in inflammatory skin diseases.
“The most important finding from our study is that climate change is already associated with negative impacts on skin disease and these effects disproportionately burden lower-income settings,” said study author Dr Esther Freeman. “We often think about the effects of extreme weather on heatstroke, cardiovascular problems, and respiratory diseases, but the skin is our frontline to climate change.”
Explaining what may be driving these effects, Dr Freeman added: “Higher temperatures and humidity can increase sweating and skin irritation, while heat, air pollution, and other environmental exposures may trigger or worsen inflammation. Shifts in temperature and rainfall can also affect the habitats of mosquitoes, ticks, and other disease vectors, potentially allowing them to survive in places where they were previously uncommon.”
The findings of the SkinObservatory are available at https://skinobservatory.org/.
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