A report released by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health on Monday revealed that more than 47,000 people died in Europe due to high temperatures in 2023, with southern European countries being the most affected.
The year 2023 was the hottest on record globally. As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, Europeans are living on the fastest-warming continent and facing increasing health risks from extreme heat.
The report highlighted that the 2023 death toll was lower than the previous year’s estimate of over 60,000 heat-related deaths. The report attributes this reduction, in part, to measures implemented over the past 20 years that have helped people adapt to rising temperatures, such as early warning systems and improvements in healthcare.
In 2023, Europe experienced several intense heatwaves, with two major episodes occurring in mid-July and late August. These heatwaves were part of a broader trend of rising temperatures across the continent, which is warming at a rate twice as fast as the global average. Southern European countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal were particularly hard hit, with some regions experiencing temperatures above 40°C (104°F) for extended periods.
These extreme conditions not only led to significant loss of life but also put enormous pressure on healthcare systems and caused widespread disruption, including wildfires and heat-related illnesses. Despite societal adaptations, such as improved healthcare and early warning systems, the heatwaves of 2023 still resulted in the second-highest number of heat-related deaths in the past decade.
