Scientists from Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimated that extreme heat caused about 50,000 additional deaths last summer across more than 850 urban areas in 30 European countries. They said this exceeded estimates for the hot summers of 2022 and 2003, which were about 29,000 and 28,000 additional deaths respectively. The highest numbers were recorded in Italy, Spain and France, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.

The researchers estimated that about 32,000 of the deaths could be attributed to climate change. Around one-third occurred during the heatwave from 17 June to 1 July, when temperatures were about 5 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 average. Most of those who died were elderly, but the estimate also included about 6,000 people under 65, including more than 800 aged 20 to 44. The researchers said the actual number may have been higher because heat-related deaths are often underreported.