France recorded 5,700 more deaths than usual during its historic June heatwave
Published: July 22, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Updated: July 22, 2026 at 12:22 PM
1 / 3
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Tourists enjoy cooling off at a public water fountain In Paris, Friday, June 26, 2026. /Christophe Ena )
PARIS – France recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during a historic heatwave last month, the public health agency said Wednesday, sharply increasing its estimates of the feared toll from record-shattering temperatures
Public Health France said regions hit by the heat from June 17 to July 2 recorded 21,674 deaths from all causes. But without a heatwave, those same regions would have been expected to have seen far fewer deaths, or 15,910, based on statistical modeling using data from previous years, it said
Recommended Videos
The difference between expected and actual deaths — a total of 5,764 — are therefore considered to be “excess” deaths during the heatwave, the agency said
It said the excess mortality, with 36% more deaths that would normally have been expected, was the highest from any heatwave since 2003. A historic heatwave that year caused an estimated 15,000 deaths in France
France registered its hottest-ever days on June 24 and June 25 this year — with a national average of 30 C (86 F) — as well as record heat at night and peak temperatures that soared well above 40 C (104 F) in many places
Just over half of the unexpected deaths occurred during and in the immediate wake of that hottest period, over three days from June 25 to June 27, the public health agency said
The Paris region appears to have been hardest hit, recording 1,999 unexpected deaths — around 80% more than would otherwise have been expected without a heatwave
Nearly half of the more than 21,600 people who died passed away in hospitals. About a third died at home and the rest were mostly deaths in care homes for older people, the agency said
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission
