Preliminary figures from the EuroMomo observation platform estimate there have been more than 32,000 excess deaths in Europe between mid-July and mid-August alone, compared to what would normally be expected for this period.
While EuroMomo does not publish country-by-country breakdowns, national health agencies in several countries have released their own provisional figures for comparable timeframes, generally spanning late May through to August.
An analysis by the AFP news agency, compiling these national reports, identified around 33,000 additional deaths, with fatalities either directly or indirectly linked to the extreme heatwaves, across just eight countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, England, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.
Germany alone is estimated to have suffered around 14,000 deaths attributed to heat this summer, the Robert Koch Institute reported on Thursday.
No official figures have yet been released for Luxembourg. EuroMomo’s data did show a slight increase in mortality during the hottest weeks in the country. However, the Ministry of Health told RTL in early August that “interpreting observed and statistically elevated excess mortality requires more specific and further statistical analyses”.
According to EuroMomo, the highest number of deaths was recorded in the last week of June, when 16,000 excess deaths were logged across Europe. This was followed by the first week of July, with an estimated 8,000 extra deaths, both weeks marked by extreme heatwaves.
EuroMomo’s estimates are expected to be refined in the coming weeks, so the final number of excess deaths for the summer could still change. The results are based only on official statistics from 23 European countries, with several Eastern European nations not fully represented.
