Health & Public Health
French authorities report 5,764 excess deaths during June heatwave
French health authorities said France recorded 5,764 more deaths than usual during a record-breaking heatwave from June 17 to July 2. They described the excess mortality among people aged 15 and older as unprecedented.
The authorities said it was the highest excess mortality rate during a heatwave in France since the 2003 heat episode that killed around 15,000 people. They said the extra deaths were from all causes and that none had yet been clearly linked to the heat. Final figures are expected in the autumn.
Three heatwaves have affected France since May. The high temperatures disrupted daily life in a country where many homes, schools and hospitals are not designed for heat and do not have air conditioning. The heat has also dried riverbeds and sparked wildfires, including one that last week burned a tenth of the UNESCO-listed Fontainebleau forest outside Paris.
Sante Public France said about two-thirds of the excess deaths during the June heatwave were among people aged 75 or older, while less than a fifth were among people aged 45 to 64. Half of the excess deaths occurred over three days, from June 25 to June 27.
France recorded its hottest June since records began in 1947. Temperatures rose above 40C in many places, and average temperatures on June 24 and June 25, 2026, were the highest ever recorded in France for any month.
Deaths in the Paris region rose by 80 percent, Sante Public France said. The agency had said last week that deaths in the region doubled in the week of June 22 to June 28. During that final week of June, four young children died across France after being trapped in very hot cars, although this did not appear to affect official death rates for that age category.
At least 300 more people than usual died during an unusually early heatwave in May. Scientists said human-caused climate change was unequivocally responsible for the intensity of the heatwave that hit Europe in late June. Meteo-France said that of the 53 heatwaves recorded nationwide from 1947 to late June, half had occurred since 2010.
Update
About two-thirds of the excess deaths were among people aged 75 or older.
Less than a fifth of the excess deaths were among people aged 45 to 64.
Half of the excess deaths occurred from June 25 to June 27.
Deaths in the Paris region rose by 80 percent, according to Sante Public France.
Four young children died after being trapped in hot cars during the last week of June, though this did not appear to affect official death rates for that age group.
At least 300 more people than usual died during an early May heatwave.
Meteo-France says half of the 53 heatwaves recorded nationwide since 1947 had occurred since 2010.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 July 2026 at 15:19:42 UTC.
Update
Health authorities gave the figure as 5,764 excess deaths.
The excess mortality was among people aged 15 and older.
The period covered was June 17 to July 2.
Authorities described the excess mortality as unprecedented.
The deaths were from all causes, with none yet clearly linked to heat.
France reported 5,722 excess deaths linked to heat over the whole summer last year.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 July 2026 at 13:30:16 UTC.
Update
French authorities said France recorded more than 5,700 excess deaths during the June heatwave.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 July 2026 at 13:18:02 UTC.
Update
Sante Publique France recorded 3,000 fatalities in Ile-de-France between June 22 and 28, 1,565 more deaths than expected.
The agency said people over 65 accounted for 82.4 percent of the deaths in the Paris region figure.
The agency said the number could still increase.
Initial figures showed 2,000 more fatalities than expected across France during the June heatwave, with the number expected to rise.
France's weather service said the 14-day June heatwave was more intense than the 2003 episode that killed 15,000 people in France, although it was two days shorter.
World Weather Attribution said the heatwave was the most severe ever recorded based on a three-day forecast of average peak temperatures over the studied region and would have been virtually impossible without climate change.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 14:29:55 UTC.
Update
Sante Publique France said the high excess mortality was observed in Ile-de-France between June 22 and 28.
The report recorded 3,000 fatalities during that period.
The agency said the total was 1,565 more deaths than expected.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 13:35:00 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The authorities said the deaths were from all causes and none had yet been clearly linked to the heat.
Final figures are expected in the autumn.
Source
AFP news report published on .