'An exceptionally deadly summer': Heat killed thousands in Europe in 2024

Heat contributed to the deaths of more than 60,000 people in Europe during the summer of 2024, according to approximate figures, an annual study published on Monday (22) revealed, as the continent increasingly records heat waves caused by climate change.

“Europe experienced an exceptionally deadly summer in 2024, with more than 60,000 heat-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the three summers so far to more than 181,000,” summarizes this report published in Nature Medicine.

These numbers, however, “have their share of uncertainty,” warned Tomás Janos, lead author of the study, in statements to AFP.

For 2024, these estimates are considered the most likely in a range that scientists place between 35,000 and 85,000 deaths.

These variations are due to complex methodological considerations and the way data is cross-referenced between temperature and mortality.

This study, conducted by scientists at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, has been a landmark annual study since the early 2020s to assess the extent to which high temperatures contribute to mortality in around 30 countries, representing almost all of Europe.

This is a crucial issue, as European summers tend to experience increasingly higher temperatures due to global warming.

According to researchers' estimates (revised slightly upwards), 67,873 people died from heat-related causes in 2022, while in 2023 it was 50,798. In 2024 there were 62,775 such deaths.

– Italy and Spain, the most impacted countries –

The indisputable reality is that heat kills tens of thousands of people in Europe every year and represents a major public health problem.

The dangers of heat waves to the human body are numerous, especially for the elderly, and go beyond dehydration and immediate heat stroke. High temperatures can worsen cardiac, respiratory, mental, and diabetes-related conditions over the long term.

Europe is the continent warming the fastest. The summer of 2024 was the hottest on record in the region, surpassing the previous record set in 2022.

Last year, the hardest-hit countries were Italy, with deaths ranging from 13,858 to 23,506; and Spain, with deaths ranging from 4,655 to 8,513. However, relative to population, mortality rates were even higher in Greece and Bulgaria.

The first reports about the summer of 2025, marked by two major heat waves, are beginning to appear.

A study published last week attempted to assess the number of deaths related to global warming in a thousand European cities during these heat waves. The authors, affiliated with British institutions, reported a death toll of more than 15,000.

But both studies are far from having the same scope. The one published this Monday has a more comprehensive geographic scope, does not focus solely on the days of the heat wave, and, above all, is based on a more solid methodology.

The researchers used actual mortality data observed during the summer of 2024 in several European regions, a meticulous effort that explains why their study took a year to complete. The British report, by contrast, extrapolates older mortality data.

But for Tomás Janos, neither study should be dismissed. The scientist insists on the importance of raising awareness about the harmful effects of heat, without waiting for reports to be published months later.

Indeed, there is no doubt that the summer of 2025, the hottest on record in several countries, such as Spain and the United Kingdom, will have serious health consequences.

"Both estimates are useful," Janos concludes. "Their study provides a preliminary idea of ​​heat-related mortality in a given summer; ours provides more robust figures, which can serve as a basis for public policy decision-making."

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