Europe Records More Than 10,000 Excess Deaths During Record Heatwave

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

PARIS/BRUSSELS/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – More than 10,000 people died above expected levels across Europe during the record-breaking late-June heatwave, according to official mortality monitoring data.

More than 9,000 of the excess deaths involved people aged 65 and older, according to EuroMOMO, a mortality-monitoring network supported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The figures cover 27 participating European countries during the week of June 22–28, when temperatures soared to record or near-record levels across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Britain, Spain, Germany, and other nations.

EuroMOMO stressed that the figures represent excess mortality—deaths above the expected seasonal average—and do not mean every additional death was directly certified as caused by heat.

However, Lasse Vestergaard, chief physician at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, which hosts EuroMOMO, said the surge was highly unusual for that time of year. “It is difficult to explain this high excess mortality by anything but the extreme heat,” he said.

ELDERLY HARDEST HIT

Extreme heat can trigger heatstroke and worsen cardiovascular, respiratory, and kidney diseases, with older people, those living alone, and people with chronic illnesses among the most vulnerable.

France and Belgium were the only participating countries to register “very high excess” mortality during the final full week of June, according to EuroMOMO.

France’s public health agency, Santé publique France, recorded 2,025 excess deaths during June 22–28 compared with the previous week, an increase of 29.1 percent.

The agency cautioned that the figures remain preliminary and do not establish how many of those deaths were directly caused by extreme heat.

Belgium’s Sciensano public health institute reported 1,747 excess deaths during the broader June heatwave period, describing it as the country’s deadliest heatwave since records began in 2000.

NETHERLANDS ALSO AFFECTED

The Netherlands also experienced elevated mortality during the heatwave.

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) estimated around 480 excess deaths during the week of June 22–28, primarily among people aged 80 and older. The institute stressed that the estimate is preliminary because death registrations continue to be updated.

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute separately estimated that heat contributed to about 5,120 deaths through the end of June, including roughly 4,270 people aged 75 or older.

Officials cautioned that Germany’s estimate covers a different period and uses a different methodology than EuroMOMO’s monitoring system, meaning the figures should not be added together.

BRITAIN STUDY

A scientific analysis published this week estimated that about 2,700 people died from heat-related causes during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales.

Researchers from Imperial College London, the UK Met Office, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimated about 550 deaths during the May heatwave and roughly 2,200 during the June episode.

Several scientists estimated that about 42 percent of those fatalities were linked to the additional heat produced by human-caused climate change, which they said increased maximum temperatures by about 3 to 4 degrees Celsius during the heatwaves.

Other researchers note that natural climate variability also influences extreme weather and that the precise contribution of climate change depends on the attribution methods used.

GROWING CHALLENGE

Scientists cautioned that excess-mortality estimates are routinely revised as additional death registrations become available.

However, the findings have renewed concerns that European healthcare systems, care homes, and public infrastructure remain ill-prepared for increasingly severe and frequent periods of extreme heat.

According to the World Meteorological Organization and the European Environment Agency, Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, increasing the likelihood of more frequent and intense heatwaves, though not all researchers agree.

If confirmed, the development would disproportionately threaten elderly people and those with underlying medical conditions, experts say.

Health experts advise improving heat-warning systems, expanding access to cooling facilities, and strengthening healthcare preparedness will be critical to reducing future loss of life.

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