Overview

• Researchers estimate 62,775 heat-attributable deaths in summer 2024, roughly 24–25% more than in 2023, and more than 181,000 across the summers of 2022–2024.
• Italy recorded the highest toll in 2024 with over 19,000 deaths, followed by Spain with more than 6,700 and Germany with about 6,300.
• Adjusted for population, Greece had the highest rate at 574 deaths per million, followed by Bulgaria at 530 and Serbia at 379, with Germany at 74.
• In 15 of the 32 countries studied, 2024 was the deadliest recent summer for heat mortality, though 2022 was worse in Germany, Spain and France and slightly higher overall in Europe.
• The ISGlobal team used daily mortality and temperature records from 654 regions and reports that weekly methods undercounted by 5–20%, while a pilot tool (Forecaster.health) can issue epidemiology-based regional heat warnings up to a week ahead, with longer lead times in parts of Southern Europe.