Barcelona: The summer heat of 2024 caused more than 62,700 heat-related deaths in Europe, marking an increase of nearly 25% over the previous year.

According to Ghana News Agency, a study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) published in Nature Medicine revealed these alarming statistics. Joan Ballester Claramunt, the study’s lead author, indicated that there were more than 181,000 heat-related deaths in Europe during the summers from 2022 to 2024.

Italy was the most affected country in 2024, recording an estimated 19,000 heat-related deaths between June 1 and September 30. Spain followed with over 6,700 deaths, and Germany reported around 6,300 fatalities. Greece and Romania also faced significant impacts, with just under 6,000 and more than 4,900 deaths, respectively.

When considering the number of heat-related deaths relative to population size, Greece experienced 574 deaths per 1 million inhabitants, leading the rankings. Bulgaria and Serbia followed with 530 and 379 deaths per million, respectively. In 15 of the 32 countries examined, the summer of 2024 was the deadliest in recent years.

The study noted that in some countries like Germany, Spain, and France, the summer of 2022 resulted in more fatalities. Overall, Europe faced slightly more heat-related deaths in 2022 compared to 2024. Factors such as the regional distribution of heat and the vulnerability of older populations contribute to these variations.