Extreme heat killed more than 47,000 people across Europe last summer, marking the continent’s second deadliest year on record for heat-related mortality after 2022.

The figure was estimated by scientists at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in a study published by Nature Medicine on Monday.

The study also found that more women died of heat-related illnesses than men, with southern Europe, which has been scorched by record temperatures and rising wildfires due to climate crisis, hit the worst.

Scientists analysed mortality data from 823 regions in 35 European countries and temperature records to arrive at the estimate.

Greece recorded the highest mortality rate at 393 deaths per million, followed by Bulgaria, Italy and Spain. More than 40 per cent of southern Europe was affected by extreme heat in July. The total death toll for the year reached 47,690, with 57 per cent of the deaths occurring during two major heatwaves in mid-July and late August.

This was the second-highest heat-related death toll in Europe after 2022, when heatwaves contributed to more than 60,000 deaths.

The study’s authors pointed out that the actual number of heat-related deaths in 2023 could be higher than reported. Due to the lack of daily mortality data, researchers had to rely on weekly death counts, which may have led to underestimates. They suggested that the true death toll was closer to 58,000.

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