At least 35,000 excess deaths have happened across Europe during four record-breaking heatwaves this summer, according to a report by the Guardian. The actual toll is likely to be significantly higher, with August data still unavailable for several countries and heat-related deaths often taking weeks or months to formally identify.
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Germany, France and Spain alone have recorded more than 25,000 excess deaths. Germany has reported the highest toll, with the Robert Koch Institute estimating around 14,000 heat-related deaths between April 6 and August 9, the country's highest figure since records began.
The consecutive heatwaves began in May and pushed temperatures to unprecedented levels across western Europe.
France recorded its hottest national average day on record, while more than 500 French weather stations recorded temperatures above 40°C. Germany saw 46 stations cross 40°C in late June, while parts of Spain experienced prolonged temperatures above 42°C.
Germany's toll was particularly severe in late June, when the Robert Koch Institute estimated that 9,600 people died during the week of June 22-28. The country's previous annual high for heat-related deaths was 8,900 in 2018, while normal summers typically see fewer than 2,000 such deaths.
Spain's mortality monitoring system has attributed 4,947 deaths to heat since May, already surpassing the previous record of 4,520 recorded in 2022. In France, preliminary figures showed 7,300 excess deaths between late May and July 22, although the data covered only about 80% of total mortality and did not include August.
Other countries have also reported significant increases. England's health security agency estimated that the May and June heatwaves were linked to 2,877 deaths. Belgium recorded 1,222 excess deaths during an 11-day period in June, while the Netherlands reported at least 900 additional deaths between June 22 and July 5. Modelling estimated another 1,070 excess deaths in Poland during the late-June heatwave.
The figures are difficult to establish because heat is rarely recorded as the direct cause of death. Extreme temperatures can worsen existing cardiovascular, respiratory and kidney conditions, with the resulting heart attacks, strokes or organ failures recorded as the immediate causes of death.
Experts expect the European death toll to rise as countries consolidate their figures.
Italy, for instance, has not yet released a final national estimate, although modelling has suggested that between 5,000 and 8,000 heat-related deaths could eventually be recorded.
Scientists have linked the increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves to human-driven global warming. The World Health Organisation said in May that heat-related mortality in its European region had risen by more than 30% over the past two decades and warned that the toll could increase further as the climate crisis intensifies and Europe's population ages.
