PARIS, France- France recorded 5,764 more deaths than expected during a record-breaking heatwave that swept across the country in June, marking the highest excess mortality linked to extreme temperatures since the deadly 2003 heatwave, health authorities have announced.
In a report released on Wednesday, Santé publique France said the excess deaths occurred between June 17 and July 2, describing the mortality among people aged 15 years and above as “unprecedented.”
The figures represent the highest excess mortality recorded during a French heatwave since the catastrophic summer of 2003, when approximately 15,000 people died following prolonged periods of extreme heat.
Although investigators have yet to determine the exact causes of the additional deaths, the public health agency said the fatalities were recorded from all causes, with a detailed epidemiological assessment expected later this year.
“The excess mortality observed during this period was unprecedented,” the agency said, adding that final analyses linking deaths directly to heat exposure would be published in the autumn.
The latest deaths came as France endured its third heatwave since May, underscoring the growing frequency of extreme weather events that climate scientists attribute largely to human-induced climate change.
Health authorities said around two-thirds of the excess deaths involved people aged 75 years and above, while fewer than one in five occurred among those aged 45 to 64.
Nearly half of the fatalities were recorded over just three days between June 25 and June 27, when temperatures peaked across much of the country.
The Paris region experienced one of the sharpest increases in mortality, with deaths rising by 80 per cent during the heatwave.
Last week, authorities had reported that deaths in the capital had doubled during the week of June 22 to June 28.
France also witnessed several tragic incidents linked to the soaring temperatures. During the final week of June, four young children died after becoming trapped inside overheated vehicles.
However, health officials said those deaths did not significantly affect mortality statistics for children.
According to Météo-France, June 2026 was the hottest June recorded since national weather observations began in 1947, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in several regions.
Average national temperatures recorded on June 24 and June 25 were the highest ever measured in France for any month of the year.
The extreme heat also strained public infrastructure, particularly in schools, hospitals and homes where air conditioning remains uncommon. Authorities reported dried-up riverbeds, water shortages and a surge in wildfires, including one that destroyed roughly 10 per cent of the UNESCO-listed Fontainebleau Forest outside Paris.
Climate scientists have concluded that human-caused climate change was unequivocally responsible for intensifying the late-June European heatwave.
Meteorological data also show that of the 53 nationwide heatwaves recorded in France since 1947, more than half have occurred since 2010, highlighting a sharp increase in the frequency of extreme heat events.