The extreme heat of the last two months has resulted in a total of 1,180 deaths in Spain attributable to high temperatures, a 935 percent increase compared to 2024, in contrast to the 114 deaths from the same period the previous year — the number multiplied by 10.35 — according to data shared this Monday by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the Carlos III Health Institute, through the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo), and the Ministry of Health, since the activation of the heat plan.
While for heatstroke, since the activation of the plan, ten attributable deaths have been reported by the autonomous communities. Five of the cases involve people over 65 years old, four are in the age range between 52 and 62 years old, and one case where data is unknown.
In the data, corresponding to the period between May 16 and July 13, 2025, it is observed that there have been 76 activations of the red level for extreme heat, while in the same interval of 2024 there were none. On the other hand, according to AEMET records, June 2025 has reached a monthly average temperature of 23.6 ºC, exceeding by 0.8 ºC the previous historical maximum recorded in June 2017. This figure also exceeds by 3.5 ºC the average for the climatic period 1991-2020.
Furthermore, in the first week of July, deaths attributable to heat increased by 47% compared to the total for the month of June, revealing an upward trend in health impacts. In a joint statement, they warn that meteorological forecasts indicate that July will continue with temperatures above the historical average throughout the national territory, with an estimated probability of over 70 percent.
The analysis of the demographic profile of the deaths indicates that 95.08% of the deceased were over 65 years old. Of the total, 59.24% were women. This distribution is due to both the greater presence of women in older age groups and physiological factors that increase vulnerability to the effects of heat.
Regarding the territorial distribution of mortality attributable to heatwaves, the most affected autonomous communities have been Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias, and Cantabria. These regions, which historically have experienced summers with moderate temperatures, currently show a significant increase in climate vulnerability. This phenomenon could be related to a lower structural and social adaptation to episodes of extreme heat.
During the first six months of the year, 2,168 people have died from causes attributable to temperatures, representing almost 68% of the deaths from this cause in all of 2024, when 3,521 deaths from extreme temperatures were reported, according to estimates by the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) developed by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII).
In June of this year, there has been a significant increase compared to 2024, with an estimated 380 deaths from causes attributable to heatwaves; a figure well above the 32 deaths from the same period in 2024.
Likewise, during the first six months of 2024, 987 deaths attributable to extreme temperatures (both high and low) were estimated; while so far this year, the data shows an increase in records in January with 1,334 deaths (compared to 719 in 2024), followed by February with 323 and March with 107 estimated.
As for the number of deaths reported for all causes, MoMo indicates in the first six months of the year 225,770, a slightly lower figure than the previous year at the same dates, which was 227,438, but very similar to the figures for 2023 (225,505 deaths) and below those of 2022 with 236,859 deaths. Regarding annual figures, MoMo recalls: the 438,143 deaths in 2024, 437,672 deaths in 2023, and the 466,601 in 2022.
FUENTE