The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2025 ranks among the hottest years ever recorded, reflecting a continuing global trend of rising temperatures driven by climate change.
Analysing eight independent global temperature datasets, WMO reported that the global average surface temperature last year was approximately 1.44°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900), despite the moderating effects of La Niña at the start and end of the year.
The period from 2015 to 2025 now stands as the 11 warmest years on record, with 2023–2025 forming the three hottest consecutive years across all datasets.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo highlighted that the ongoing increase in global temperatures is linked to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. She added that elevated land and ocean temperatures have contributed to extreme weather events, including heatwaves, intense rainfall and stronger tropical cyclones.
“WMO’s state of the climate monitoring, based on collaborative and scientifically rigorous global data collection, is more important than ever before because we need to ensure that Earth information is authoritative, accessible and actionable for all,” she said.
The report also drew attention to continuing ocean warming. Separate studies indicate that ocean heat content in 2025 remained among the highest on record, with oceans absorbing around 90 per cent of excess heat from global warming, highlighting their critical role in regulating the climate system.
WMO said it will release full details on climate indicators including greenhouse gases, sea-level rise, glaciers and sea ice in its State of the Global Climate 2025 report, scheduled for publication in March 2026.
