Belgium Leads Europe in Heatwave Deaths 2026: How Spain, France and Germany Were Affected

The summer heatwave of 2026 was the deadliest on record for several European countries at the same time. Find out why Belgium had the highest excess mortality rate on the continent and how Spain, France and Germany were affected

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The June 2026 heat wave was the worst on record for Belgium, The Brussels Times reports: According to estimates by the public health institute Sciensano, the country recorded 1,747 deaths above the usual level between June 18 and July 1, which is 48% more than is usually expected during this period. Preliminary data released a week earlier had put the figure at 1,222, but after revisions the figure increased by almost a quarter.

According to the European mortality monitoring network EuroMOMO, Belgium suffered the highest excess mortality rate of any country on the continent during this heat wave - and this despite the fact that temperatures in neighboring France and the Netherlands remained at almost the same level. In France, excess mortality during the same period was 23%, in the Netherlands – only 13%.

Why Belgium was most affected by the heat and which other countries had high mortality rates are discussed below.

How heat is changing tourists' habits and what it means for your travels, read our previous article.

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Why did more people die in Belgium than in its neighbors?

Geert Molenbergs, a biostatistician at the Catholic University of Leuven and the University of Hasselt, attributes the difference not so much to temperature as to living conditions. According to him, in a spacious house with greenery around, the heat is much easier to tolerate than in a cramped city apartment without air conditioning. It was the residents of poorer areas who suffered the most - and here the difference between the regions became apparent: in Wallonia, excess mortality reached 76% (919 additional deaths), in Brussels - 61% (159 deaths), while in the more prosperous Flanders the figure was noticeably lower, although it also exceeded the figures of France and the Netherlands - 31%.

The second factor is the dense construction and high level of urbanization of Belgium, which limits the natural cooling of cities. The hottest days were June 27 and 28: it was then that Sciensano recorded the peak daily mortality rates - the highest since the first wave of COVID-19.

Where to find free cooling points in Europe 2026 we tell here.

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Spain: the worst June in the history of observations

The MoMo mortality monitoring system, run by the Carlos III Health Institute, started operating in Spain in 2015 - and it was June 2026 that became its deadliest in this entire period. In one month, the country lost 1,028 people to heat, which is more than double the figure of June 2025 (407 deaths), although last year's June was officially the hottest on record.

The situation was not limited to one month. According to the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, the number of deaths related to heatwaves rose to 1,180 between May 16 and July 13, compared to just 114 in the same period in 2024. The country has issued 76 high-level heat warnings in the past week, compared to none the year before. The most vulnerable group is once again people over 65, more than half of whom are women.

The AEMET meteorological service confirmed that June 22 and 23 were the two hottest June days in mainland Spain since at least 1950, with temperatures in Andujar (Jaén province) that week exceeding 45°C for the first time this year.

Find out how to travel safely during the heatwave here.

France: Highest number since 2003 tragedy

According to Santé publique France, the country recorded 5,764 excess deaths among people aged 15 and over between June 17 and July 2. This is the highest number of excess deaths during a heat wave since the disastrous summer of 2003, when around 15,000 people died in France during a similar period.

June 2026 was France’s hottest month since records began in 1947, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in many regions, and the daily averages on June 24 and 25 were the highest in the history of measurements – not just for the summer months, but in general. Despite this, the government itself admits that the system of warnings and recommendations introduced after 2003 probably contained an even greater increase in deaths - which is why the southern regions of the country, accustomed to the heat, were affected much less than the north.

The ranking of the cleanest lakes in Europe for swimming in the summer of 2026 is here.

Germany: a weekly surge that exceeded the French

Although Germany is less likely to make headlines next to Belgium or Spain, it was it that showed one of the highest weekly figures in all of Europe. According to EuroMOMO estimates, from June 22 to 28 the country recorded 5,780 excess deaths compared to the average of the previous four years - more than in the same week in France. German statistics are traditionally formed with a certain delay, so the final data from the Robert Koch Institute for the entire summer season of 2026 are expected later.

Also look for the best islands in Europe to travel to in 2026 and the destinations most suitable for beach, active and gastronomic holidays in this material.

The scale of the problem across Europe

According to an AFP analysis based on national statistics from nine European countries, the June heat wave claimed at least 12,000 lives, and EuroMOMO estimates excess mortality in the last week of June across Europe at more than 14,000 cases. People aged 65 and over were hardest hit - they accounted for more than 9,000 deaths.

The chief physician of the Danish Statens Serum Institut, which coordinates the work of EuroMOMO, Lasse Westergaard, noted that such a high excess mortality at this time of year is difficult to explain by anything other than extreme heat. According to him, such a level of exceeding the statistically expected indicators occurs extremely rarely.

Experts point out that final figures are traditionally revised upwards: EuroMOMO takes about four weeks for the data to stabilize, and national institutes publish updates within a few weeks after the end of a heat wave - this is what happened with Belgian statistics.

Where to go on holiday in August 2026? Ideas from Visit World here.

Extreme heat, such as the one that hit Europe in the summer of 2026, is one of the most dangerous weather conditions for travelers, especially for the elderly and those with chronic diseases. During such periods, the burden on the host country's healthcare system increases dramatically, and the cost of emergency medical care for foreigners can be significant - especially if it comes to heatstroke, dehydration or exacerbation of cardiovascular problems.

A health insurance policy covers the costs of emergency care and, if necessary, medical evacuation, which is especially important when traveling to high-risk regions. It also allows you to cancel or interrupt your trip without financial loss if weather conditions or your health condition require it. Applying for a policy takes a few minutes, and coverage is valid from several days to a year or longer - depending on the duration of the trip. When planning a trip to regions where extreme heat is predicted, take care of insurance protection in advance.

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Reminder! The European continent is preparing for another temperature test - forecasters predict a powerful heat wave on the border of July and August 2026. The highest indicators are expected in southern countries, where thermometers may approach the critical mark. We have already told you where in Europe the temperature can reach 50 degrees at the end of July and what the weather conditions will be in the coming days.

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