National statistics across nine European countries have identified at least 12,000 excess deaths associated with the intense heatwave experienced in June. This figure, derived from an analysis by AFP, remains provisional and is expected to climb as further data is processed and released by national authorities. The period between June 22 and 28 marked the height of the heatwave in several nations, during which approximately 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland. Furthermore, Britain's Met Office estimated an additional 2,200 deaths linked to the heatwave in England and Wales between June 18 and 28.
The impact of these extreme temperatures was widespread, with all-time heat records shattered in several nations, as well as June-specific records in the UK and Switzerland. Provisional data from the European Mortality Monitoring (EuroMOMO) network also reported a significant increase in excess deaths for the final week of June, placing the figure at 14,260. Their analysis drew on official statistics from 24 countries, accounting for approximately 400 million residents, although the figures do not include parts of eastern Europe. This total marks the highest rate of excess deaths for a June week since EuroMOMO began tracking such data in 2020. The only other summer week in which a higher rate of excess deaths has been recorded over that seven-year period was a week in July 2022, when the Covid-19 pandemic was still active in many European countries.
Lasse Vestergaard, an epidemiologist at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut and a coordinator for EuroMOMO, stated that there are no known reasons for this excess mortality other than the heat, describing the trend as quite dramatic. However, he urged caution in interpreting the most recent figures, noting that it typically takes four weeks for estimates to become sufficiently consolidated and that initial figures released by national bodies have often been revised upwards since the end of the heatwave. Different countries utilize varying methodologies for compiling these figures, leading to diverse reporting patterns.
For instance, Spain’s excess mortality monitor, MoMo, attributed 610 deaths to the heat between June 22 and 28, with nearly two-thirds of those victims being over 85 years old. Conversely, Germany’s federal office of statistics, Destatis, reported 5,780 excess deaths during that same week compared to the average of the previous four years. Compared to the two weeks prior, Destatis had recorded 7,100 excess deaths. Furthermore, Germany's public health authority, the Robert Koch Institute, noted that more people have died from the heat so far this summer in Germany than over the previous six years combined.
Other nations reported varied impacts during the same June 22–28 window: France recorded 2,025 excess deaths compared to the previous week, while Belgium’s public health body, Sciensano, recorded 1,747 excess deaths between June 18 and July 1, with 750 of those occurring over just two days, June 27 and 28. Additional data showed nearly 600 excess deaths in the Netherlands, 220 in Switzerland, and 23 in Luxembourg. Italy’s health authorities recorded a slight rise in deaths among people over 85 between June 24 and 30 in northern Italy, though these figures only covered the 54 main cities. Several countries in central and eastern Europe, such as Hungary and Slovakia, have not yet published provisional figures.
Hans Henri P. Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, warned that the summer is not yet over. He criticized the tendency of many governments to treat heat as a weather event rather than a health emergency, arguing that this is not a natural disaster but a recurring issue. He maintained that the tools to prevent most of these deaths exist, stating that the guidance is published and the evidence is clear. Meanwhile, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists has concluded that these temperatures would have been virtually impossible in June without the influence of climate change.
