In 2023, more than 47,000 people across Europe lost their lives due to extreme heat, making it the hottest year on record globally. This alarming figure is based on research conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, which highlights Bulgaria as the country with the highest heat-related mortality rate.

Greece, with 393 deaths per million inhabitants, tops the list of countries with the highest heat-related fatalities, followed by Bulgaria with 229 per million. Italy and Spain also reported significant numbers of heat-related deaths.

The research team utilized data from Eurostat, the European statistical office, analyzing 96 million deaths across 35 European countries to estimate the heat-related mortality for 2023. The study found that there were 47,690 deaths attributable to heat across Europe last year, marking the second-highest number since such records began in 2015, with only 2022 surpassing this figure.

The study also revealed that in nearly all the countries examined, women were more affected by the heat than men, with the elderly being particularly vulnerable.