The world’s poorest countries are expected to experience faster and more intense warming than the richest, and remain exposed to heat for longer periods of time each year, according to a new United Nations report examining how climate change is exacerbating global poverty.

According to the report by the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), countries with high rates of poverty will experience more days of extreme heat, above 35°C, than those with lower levels of poverty.

The research found that under a high-emissions scenario, the poorest countries are expected to experience 37 extra days of extreme heat per year by 2059, while wealthier countries will see an increase of 24 days.

“Looking forward, what climate change will likely do is widen inequalities even more,” said Pedro Conceição, director of UNDP’s Human Development Office. “Those who are already most vulnerable are likely to be left even further behind.”

The study combines climate data and poverty surveys in 108 countries to understand how the two phenomena are linked and reinforce each other.

About 80% of the world’s 1.1 billion people living in poverty face at least one of four “climate hazards”, extreme heat, drought, floods or air pollution.

Of these, 651 million people are exposed to two or more risks at the same time, while 309 million are exposed to three or even four.

South Asia is the region most exposed to multiple climate hazards, with 99% of its population living in areas affected by at least one.

“The interdependence of the risks of poverty and the climate crisis is expected to intensify in the future,” warn the authors of the report.