New analysis by the International Institute for Environment and Development, shared exclusively with the Guardian, finds extreme heat reduced incomes for India's outdoor workers by close to 9% in 2024, about £112 ($151) per worker. The study estimates workers in highly physical jobs in agriculture, construction and transport lost on average 6.6% of salaries in 2024, and that informal workers nationwide lose an average of 21.1 working days a year to extreme heat. Losses were highest in Rajasthan, where informal workers lost the equivalent of 8.3% of income amid prolonged heatwaves and a rising death toll. IIED estimates heat could cost the Indian economy at least £58bn, about 2% of GDP, from reduced productivity, worksite closures and long-term heat-related illnesses. Ritu Bharadwaj, IIED climate finance director, says heat is lowering efficiency, cutting food intake and forcing people to keep working through illness, deepening poverty and worsening structural inequality. The report highlights poor access to drinking water, shade, rest areas, sanitation and medical support at worksites and notes many workers return to homes that provide no relief; eight construction workers told the Guardian they repeatedly fell ill, collapsed or were refused pay after heat-related incidents. A World Bank report cited in the article warns India could be among the first places where heatwaves approach human survivability limits, underscoring urgent risks to health and income for hundreds of millions of informal workers.
