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The death toll linked to heatwaves across Europe continues to rise, with Germany recording around 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer and Spain reporting approximately 4,500 deaths between June 1 and August 19, according to health authorities.

Germany’s heat-related death toll, recorded through August 9, far exceeds the previous record of around 8,900 deaths reported in 2018, according to estimates released Thursday by the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s public health agency.

People aged over 75 accounted for the largest share of heat-related deaths, the institute said.

Of the estimated 14,000 deaths recorded in Germany this year, around 9,600 occurred during the week of June 22-28, when temperatures rose sharply across the country. Temperatures exceeded 41 degrees Celsius in some areas during that period, according to France 24.

In Spain, approximately 4,500 people died as a result of heatwaves between June 1 and August 19, marking a record for the period and the highest figure since 2022, according to data from Madrid’s Carlos III Health Institute.

By comparison, heat-related deaths during the same period stood at 3,073 last year and 1,890 in 2024. A similar toll was recorded in 2022, when the number of heat-related deaths was estimated at around 4,520.

July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in Spain, one of the European countries most affected by climate change. The country also experienced unprecedented wildfires during the month, while July was described by the national meteorological agency as the "driest month since records began in 1961." //Petra// MF