In 2025, Tajikistan recorded some of the highest temperature anomalies in the world, with average temperatures exceeding seasonal norms by more than 3 degrees Celsius compared to the 1981–2010 baseline period. This is according to data from the European climate monitoring program Copernicus.
From May through December — with the exception of November — each month saw record-high temperatures, making Tajikistan one of the countries most affected by the global heatwave.
Overall, 120 monthly temperature records were broken worldwide in 2025 across more than 70 countries. Preliminary assessments indicate that the past 12 months will rank among the three warmest periods ever recorded, surpassed only by 2024 and 2023.
Experts note that Tajikistan is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat due to socio-economic factors. According to international organizations, only about 41 percent of the country’s population has access to safe drinking water, increasing risks to public health and food security.
Significant warming was also observed in neighboring countries — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Iran — where temperatures exceeded seasonal averages by 2–3 degrees Celsius. However, Tajikistan experienced the most pronounced deviation from climatic norms.
Beyond Central Asia, record-breaking heat affected the Sahel region in Africa as well as several European countries.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution research network emphasize that since 2015, extreme heatwaves have become nearly ten times more likely, a trend directly linked to human-induced climate change.
