Heat-related deaths in Spain up 88% from last year: Health ministry

The number of heat -related deaths in Spain between May 16 and September 30 reached 3,832, an increase of 87.6% compared to the same period in 2024, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday.

Almost two-thirds of deaths involved people over 85, and almost 96% were over 65, he said in a statement.

The figures have been “estimated through statistical models”, according to the press release, adding that the figures can still be revised.

The ministry used the data of the Spanish mortality (MOMO) mortality system which follows daily mortality on a national scale and compares them to historical trends.

It also incorporates external factors, such as weather data from the National Meteorological Agency AEMET, to assess the probable causes of mortality peaks.

Although Momo cannot confirm a direct cause between high deaths and temperatures, it provides the most reliable estimate of deaths in which heat was probably a decisive factor.

Scientists have persistently warned that human -based climate change leads to more frequent and intense weather events in the world.

Spain this year has overcome its hottest summer since the start of records in 1961, with an average temperature of 24.2 ° C, according to AEMET.

On the 90 days of summer, 33 were marked by heat waves, said Aemet.

The country underwent a 16 -day heat wave in August which fed the forest fires that killed four people and destroyed a record field area.

According to AEMET, nine of the hottest 10 summers in Spain since 1961 occurred in the 21st century.

Great Britain, Japan and South Korea have also undergone the hottest summers this year since each country began to keep registers, according to their meteorological agencies.

© 2025 AFP