Europe’s 2026 Heatwaves Killed 50,391

Europe’s summer 2026 heatwaves caused an estimated 50,391 excess deaths across 854 cities in 30 countries, the deadliest summer for heat-related mortality in the study’s records and exceeding the tolls of 2003 and 2022. Researchers attributed 32,619 deaths—about two-thirds—to human-driven climate change, largely from fossil-fuel emissions. Western Europe had its hottest summer on record, with average temperatures 2.9°C above the 1991–2020 average, and nearly a third of estimated deaths occurred during a severe period in late June. The studies, by researchers at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, covered urban areas representing about 40% of the populations studied. A separate analysis estimated that the heat reduced EU GDP by roughly 0.17%, or €17 billion, from April through September.