More than 60,000 people died due to record heat in Europe in the summer of 2024, according to a large-scale study published in the journal Nature Medicine, cited by dariknews.bg.
Bulgaria among the most affected
According to scientists, when the population is taken into account, Greece has the highest mortality rate - 574 deaths per million people, followed by Bulgaria and Serbia. This places our country in one of the most vulnerable places in Europe to the consequences of extreme heat.
Extremely deadly summer
„Europe experienced an exceptionally deadly summer in 2024, with over 60,000 heat-related deaths. The total number for the last three summers exceeds 181,000, the authors of the study from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) said.
The deadly heat wave in Europe at the end of June claimed the lives of nearly 2,300 people
The study covered 32 countries and a population of 539 million people.
The summer of 2024 resulted in 62,775 deaths, which is almost 25% more than in 2023, but below the record 67,873 deaths in 2022.
However, the researchers specify that there is uncertainty in the accuracy of the data and the real number could vary between 35,000 and 85,000.
Why is the heat so dangerous?
Experts emphasize that it is difficult to calculate the real number of victims, since heat is rarely registered as a direct cause of death. In addition to heatstroke and dehydration, high temperatures increase the risk of:
heart attacks,
strokes,
respiratory diseases.
Most affected countries
In absolute number of victims:
Italy is in first place – about 19,000 deaths, followed by Spain and Germany – with over 6,000.
Urgent action needed
With Europe warming twice as fast as the global average, scientists are proposing an early warning system for dangerous heatwaves, targeting vulnerable groups – especially the elderly.