France records over 5,700 excess deaths in June heatwave

PARIS – France recorded 5,764 more deaths than usual during a record-breaking heatwave in June, the health authorities said on July 22, describing the excess mortality among people aged 15 and older as “unprecedented”.

It was the highest excess mortality rate during a heatwave in France since a devastating episode of high temperatures in 2003, when 15,000 people died, they added.

The extra deaths between June 17 and July 2 in 2026 were due to “all causes” – none yet clearly linked to the heat, Sante Public France said.

By comparison, the country reported 5,722 excess fatalities linked to high temperatures between June and mid-September 2025.

Of the excess deaths in June, around two-thirds were people aged 75 or older, while less than a fifth were aged 45 to 64.

Half passed away in just three days from June 25 to 27.

France in June recorded its hottest June since records began in 1947 with a heatwave that saw temperatures spike above 40 deg C in many places.

The average temperatures on June 24 and 25, 2026, were the highest ever recorded in France, all months combined. AFP