Europe heatwave linked to around 12,000 deaths as climate risks intensify

AT least 12,000 deaths were recorded across nine European countries during an exceptional heatwave that swept the continent in June, according to an analysis by AFP based on national mortality data.

The figure is expected to rise as more official data becomes available, offering an early indication of the severe health impact caused by increasingly frequent extreme heat events linked to climate change.

AFP reported on Friday that several European countries recorded their highest temperatures on record during the heatwave, while the United Kingdom and Switzerland experienced their hottest June ever recorded.

AFP analysed excess mortality data between June 22 and 28 from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, with around 10,000 deaths recorded across the seven countries during the peak period.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Met Office estimated that around 2,200 additional deaths in England and Wales were associated with hot weather between June 18 and 28.

Preliminary figures from the European Mortality Monitoring (EuroMOMO) system showed a sharp increase in heat-related deaths during the final week of June, with the total estimated at 14,260 cases.

The estimate was based on official statistics from 24 countries covering around 400 million people, although several eastern European nations were not included.

World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri P Kluge warned that the summer season was far from over and urged governments not to underestimate the dangers posed by extreme heat.

“This is not a natural disaster that happens once in a while. It happens every year because too many governments still consider extreme heat as simply a weather phenomenon, rather than a public health emergency,” he said.

“The measures to prevent a large proportion of these deaths are already available. Guidelines have been published and scientific evidence is already clear.

“What governments do next is a choice, and this summer has shown the scale of the risks we face,” he added.

EuroMOMO data indicated that the final week of June recorded the highest heat-related mortality rate for any week in June since the monitoring system began collecting European data in 2020.

The only summer period with a higher mortality rate in the past seven years was July 2022, when many European countries were still experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

EuroMOMO coordinator and epidemiologist at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institute, Lasse Vestergaard, said no other factor had so far been identified that could explain the sharp rise in deaths apart from extreme heat.

However, he urged caution in interpreting the preliminary figures, noting that EuroMOMO typically requires around four weeks for estimates to be fully validated.

He said early mortality figures released by national authorities had often been revised upwards after heatwaves ended.

The methods used to calculate heat-related deaths vary between countries.

In Spain, the MoMo monitoring system attributed 610 deaths to the heatwave between June 22 and 28, with nearly two-thirds of victims aged above 85.

Germany recorded 5,780 deaths during the same period compared with the average over the previous four years, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Compared with the previous two weeks, Destatis recorded an additional 7,100 deaths.

Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute, said heat-related deaths this summer had already exceeded the total recorded over the previous six years.

France recorded 2,025 deaths during the week of June 22 to 28 compared with the previous week.

Belgium’s public health institute Sciensano recorded 1,747 heat-related deaths between June 18 and July 1, including 750 deaths in just two days on June 27 and 28.

AFP’s analysis of public health data also found nearly 600 deaths in the Netherlands, 220 in Switzerland and 23 in Luxembourg during the June 22 to 28 period.

In Italy, health authorities reported a slight increase in deaths among people aged above 85 between June 24 and 30 in northern regions, although the data covered only 54 major cities.

Several central and eastern European countries, including Hungary and Slovakia, were also affected by the late-June heatwave but had yet to release preliminary mortality figures.

Meanwhile, climate scientists from World Weather Attribution said the extreme temperatures recorded in June would have been almost impossible without the influence of human-driven climate change.  - July 17, 2026