Fact Check: Do tens of thousands of Europeans die each year due to heat-related illnesses?
Yes
The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) estimates that an average of 60,000 Europeans died yearly (2022-2024) due to heat-related deaths. ISGlobal attributes over half of European heat-related deaths to climate change. Countries like France, Germany, and Denmark faced their hottest days on record in June 2026.
A lack of air conditioning infrastructure is also responsible. A NBER paper finds that individuals with A/C are roughly a quarter as likely to die from heat-related illnesses. European A/C adoption averages a fifth of households for all countries and around half for Southern European nations. A conservative estimate of lives saved from bringing adoption to US levels (nine out of ten families) assumes that half of heat related casualties were not exposed to A/C, and that three quarters of them could have been saved if so. This results in 22,500 yearly deaths due to the lack of A/C.
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Sources:
ISGlobal Over 62,700 Deaths Associated with Record-breaking Heat During the Summer of 2024 in Europe
ISGlobal More than Half of European Heat-Related Deaths in Summer 2022 Attributed to Anthropogenic Warming
Boston Consulting GroupEuropeans Are Embracing Air Conditioning. That’s a Green Growth Opportunity.
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