Heat Deaths in Spain Have Surged This Summer Amid Record Temperatures
The Spanish government said more than 1,100 deaths between May and July can be attributed to extreme heat.
A public temperature display in Madrid on June 20, 2025.
Photographer: Claudia Paparelli/BloombergExtreme heat in Spain was 10 times deadlier over the past two months than during the same period last year, with an estimated 1,180 people dying due to heat waves from mid-May to mid-July, compared to 114 people in 2024, according to Spain’s Ministry of Health.
Research center Instituto de Salud Carlos III calculated excess mortality due to heat by comparing total deaths between May 16 and July 13 this year with the historical average between those dates. Spanish authorities issued a total of 76 red alerts for extreme heat over the past two months, compared to none during the same period in 2024.