Health & Public Health
Belgium heatwaves linked to 2,935 excess deaths
Belgium recorded 2,935 excess deaths during successive heatwaves since June, the national public health institute Sciensano said on September 3.
Sciensano said 365 excess deaths were observed between July 28 and August 16, when Belgium experienced its third heatwave of the season. It said that was seven percent more deaths than normal.
The institute said the latest figure followed 2,035 excess deaths between June 18 and July 3, when excess mortality was 49 percent, and another 535 excess deaths between July 4 and 17.
The figures were released days after Belgium's Royal Meteorological Institute said summer 2026 was the country's hottest on record. It said temperatures at the official national reference station in Uccle, outside Brussels, averaged 20.3 C, 2.4 C above the mean of recent decades.
Scientists warn that climate change is making extreme weather events more intense and heat records more frequent.
Update
Sciensano gave a summer excess-deaths total of 2,935.
Sciensano said 365 excess deaths were observed from July 28 to August 16, seven percent above normal.
Sciensano said Belgium recorded 2,035 excess deaths from June 18 to July 3 and 535 from July 4 to 17.
Belgium's Royal Meteorological Institute said summer 2026 was the hottest on record, with Uccle averaging 20.3 C.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 September 2026 at 09:59:42 UTC.
Update
Sciensano said 365 excess deaths were observed from July 28 to August 16 during Belgium’s third heatwave.
Those deaths were in addition to almost 2,600 excess deaths recorded during two earlier periods of high temperatures since June.
The report came days after Belgium’s summer was confirmed as its hottest on record.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 September 2026 at 09:21:07 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The supplied information does not establish individual causes of death for the excess mortality figures.
Source
AFP news report published on .