This summer, extreme heatwaves in Europe resulted in the death of more than 50,000 people, with approximately 32,000 of these deaths caused by rising temperatures due to climate change.
On October 22nd, local time, two latest studies published in the academic journal Nature Health indicate that the summer of 2026 is likely to be the summer with the highest number of deaths related to high temperatures in most parts of Europe this century, surpassing previous records.
According to researchers, two studies were conducted by scientists from the Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The studies analyzed data from 854 cities in the EU, UK, Norway, and Switzerland. These cities account for approximately 40% of the total population of these 30 countries. Researchers note that since the data does not cover rural areas, the actual number of deaths in Europe may be higher.
Research findings indicate that between 2000 and 2025, the total number of deaths related to high temperatures in Europe amounted to approximately 430,000, with about half of these deaths being linked to climate change. In comparison, during the summer of 2026 alone, more than 50,000 excess deaths related to high temperatures occurred in these cities, exceeding the previous records of around 29,000 deaths in 2022 and 28,000 deaths in 2003. Nearly one-third of the deaths related to high temperatures this summer occurred during a heat wave in late June, when temperature records were broken in many parts of Europe.
The lead researcher of the study, Claire Barnes, a specialist in extreme weather at Imperial College London, said that the summer of 2026 is likely to be the summer with the highest number of deaths related to high temperatures on record in much of Europe. She warned that rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather conditions are having a growing impact on public health.
Research also found that older people are the group most affected by high temperatures, with people aged 85 and above accounting for about half of the estimated deaths. However, the threat of high temperatures is not limited to the elderly: this summer, approximately 6,000 deaths occurred among people under 65 years old, with more than 800 excess deaths among young adults aged 20 to 44. Co-author of the study and assistant professor at Imperial College London, Gary Floros Konstantinidis, stated that deaths related to high temperatures do not only occur in the elderly population.
