A report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) revealed that more than 47,000 people in Europe lost their lives due to extreme heat in 2023, with southern countries being the most affected. Despite the alarming death toll, the figure is lower than the over 60,000 heat-related deaths recorded the previous year, thanks to adaptation measures introduced over the past two decades.
These measures, including early warning systems and improvements in healthcare, have significantly reduced vulnerability to high temperatures, especially among the elderly. Lead researcher Elisa Gallo emphasized that societal adaptations have been crucial in lowering heat-related mortality during recent summers.
The study analyzed death and temperature data from 35 European countries, identifying Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, and Spain as the nations with the highest heat-related mortality rates when adjusted for population. As Europe continues to experience rising temperatures, the continent remains at the forefront of the global climate crisis.