Record heatwaves in Europe: Over 47,000 deaths in 2023

In 2023, Europe's record-breaking heat led to over 47,000 deaths, making it the warmest year globally and the second hottest in Europe, according to a study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).

The study highlights a significant decrease in European societies' vulnerability to heat over the century, Caliber.Az reports.

Without these adaptive measures, heat-related mortality could have been 80% higher.

Researchers utilized temperature and mortality data from 823 regions across 35 European countries between 2015 and 2019 to estimate annual heat-related deaths for 2023. Unlike the intense summer of 2022, which saw extreme temperatures from mid-July to mid-August, 2023 experienced high temperatures in two key periods: mid-July and late August. These heatwaves contributed to more than 57% of the total estimated mortality, with over 27,000 deaths.

Overall, the study estimated 47,690 heat-related deaths across the 35 countries, with the majority occurring during the hottest period of the year, from May 29 to October 1.

Southern European countries reported the highest mortality rates: Greece (393 deaths per million), Bulgaria (229 deaths per million), Italy (209 deaths per million), Spain (175 deaths per million), Cyprus (167 deaths per million), and Portugal (136 deaths per million).

The data also indicate that women and older adults were particularly vulnerable. Heat-related mortality was 55% higher in women compared to men and 76% higher in individuals over 80 years old compared to those aged 65-79.