French health authorities have confirmed that a severe heatwave between June 17 and July 2 caused more than 5,700 excess deaths, a 36 percent rise over normal levels.
Paris, France – Web Desk: France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during a severe heatwave that gripped the country between June 17 and July 2, according to a new bulletin released by the national health agency, Santé publique France (SPF).
The agency reported that 5,764 excess deaths were registered during the period, marking an increase of more than 36 percent compared to typical mortality levels for the same timeframe. Officials described the figure as the highest heat-linked mortality spike recorded in France since the deadly 2003 heatwave.
According to SPF, the heatwave affected 92 of France’s departments, covering roughly 98.5 percent of the country’s mainland population. The agency noted that the excess mortality was observed across all age groups from 15 years and above, with a marked rise beginning at age 45, underlining the health risks posed by prolonged extreme heat exposure.
SPF’s Guillaume Boulanger, who leads environmental health analysis at the agency, said healthcare capacity and the country’s age structure have changed significantly over the past two decades, but the scale of the recent heatwave still represented a severe public health impact, especially compared with 2020, when 1,932 excess deaths were recorded during a similar period.
The Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, was the hardest hit, recording nearly 2,000 excess deaths, an increase of more than 81 percent. The Grand Est region followed with 635 excess deaths, while Pays de la Loire recorded 553. Other regions including Centre-Val de Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Normandy, Hauts-de-France, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Brittany, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes also reported significant increases.
More than half of the excess deaths, 56 percent, occurred within a three-day span between June 25 and 27, when temperatures peaked across much of the country. SPF said the rise in deaths was recorded across all settings, including hospitals, private homes, and nursing care facilities, though it noted that the increase cannot yet be attributed to heat with full certainty pending further analysis.
The findings add to growing concern in France and across Europe over the escalating public health toll of increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves, with health authorities expected to review emergency preparedness measures ahead of further extreme heat events this summer.
