Europe records 62,775 heat-related deaths in summer 2024; Italy hardest hit

Europe logged 62,775 heat-related deaths in the summer of 2024, the period from June 1 through Sept. 30, according to a new analysis of data covering about 539 million people across 32 European countries. The summer coincided with the warmest global conditions on record, with regional temperatures about 1.54°C (2.7°F) above the 1991-2020 baseline and scientists noting that Europe is warming at roughly twice the global average.

Italy recorded the highest heat-related mortality, with 19,038 deaths in 2024, followed by Spain (6,743), Germany (6,282), Greece (5,980), Romania (4,943) and Bulgaria (3,414). Other countries in the top 10 included Serbia (2,515), France (2,451), Poland (1,780) and Hungary (1,443). The United Kingdom logged 573 heat-related deaths. By contrast, northern and smaller-population states tended to report far fewer fatalities, with Sweden at 30 deaths, Norway 18, Estonia 85, Latvia 71 and Luxembourg 15.

In the study, published in Nature Medicine, researchers analyzed data from 539 million people across 32 European countries and concluded that Europe is the continent warming most quickly, at about twice the global average. The authors describe the Mediterranean basin and southeastern Europe as climate-change hotspots in recent years, with Italy and Spain bearing the highest death tolls in the period studied.

The new findings come as global assessments show that summer 2024 was the hottest on record, a trend confirmed by Copernicus Climate Change Service data. Italy’s high mortality rate is attributed in part to an aging population and a combination of factors including housing, health status and comorbidities that amplify vulnerability to extreme heat.

Overall, the three summers studied — 2022, 2023 and 2024 — produced more than 181,000 heat-related deaths across Europe, a figure the researchers describe as a warning sign for policy and public health planning. They urge strengthening adaptation measures and implementing a new generation of continent-wide, impact-based heat-health early warning systems to better protect vulnerable populations.

The study also found that heat-related mortality rose disproportionately among women and older people. In 2024, women had a higher death toll than men by an estimated 46.7%, and people aged 75 and older faced a mortality rate roughly 323% higher than other age groups.

Separately from the European analysis, other researchers have warned that heatwaves could cause substantial increases in UK deaths in the coming decades. A separate projection study assessing 15 scenarios over the next 50 years suggests that England and Wales could see up to about 34,000 annual heat-related deaths by 2070 under worst-case conditions, underscoring the impact of aging populations and varying levels of adaptation.

The new European findings add to the record of rising heat exposure in the region, emphasizing that adaptation and preparedness remain essential as the climate continues to warm. The authors highlight that the more than 181,000 heat-related deaths observed across the three summers should prompt policymakers to invest in infrastructure and health systems capable of withstanding future heat events.