The summer of 2026 in France, even before August has ended, will already go down in history as one of the worst and deadliest since records began. The country recorded 1,243 additional deaths between July 3 and 22, during the second summer heatwave, adding to the 5,764 deaths recorded from June 17 to 30, in the first heatwave. This places the provisional total at around 7,300 deaths, according to reports from the Ministry of Health and the agency Santé Publique France on Wednesday. Authorities warn that this excess mortality is due to all kinds of causes and “cannot yet be fully attributed to extreme heat.”
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Almost three-quarters of these deaths on the hottest days of July (917) “correspond to people aged 75 or older,” who are “the most vulnerable to this type of episode,” as Sébastien Denys, health director at Santé Publique France, recalled during a virtual press conference to present the data. The previous count was given on July 2.
These deaths affected all age groups from 45 years old onwards, according to the Ministry of Health, which highlighted the increase in deaths at home (almost 26%). Half occurred in hospitals and 18% in nursing homes.
France is going through its fifth heatwave since spring (the third of the summer), which is easing these days and is the second longest ever experienced, after 22 days with extremely high temperatures. Additionally, the country has suffered 52 days of heatwaves since late spring, also a historic figure, according to Météo France, the meteorological agency.
Heatwaves have followed one another with so few days of respite that it is even difficult to distinguish them. The one in June, which lasted 10 days, was the most intense ever, even worse than that of 2003. That summer was traumatic in the country, as 15,000 people died due to the high temperatures. The July heatwave has been less severe but longer-lasting and has affected practically the entire country, 78 out of the hundred departments. 80% of the population was exposed to high temperatures.
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“All regions have suffered excess mortality, except for the island of Corsica, which has been less exposed,” recalled Sébastien Denys, from the health agency. At the press conference, authorities explained the complexity of managing these statistics and establishing a death toll attributable to heat.
The data show excess mortality during these periods and must be taken “with caution.” Still, these are figures “that give an idea of the health impact that heatwaves have on the population’s health,” detailed Didier Lepelletier, Director General of Health. “The summer we are experiencing is exceptional meteorologically, due to the intensity [of the heatwaves], their earliness, duration, and frequency,” he illustrated.
The full report will be published in October, when the summer period ends, although the figures to date, not including August, make this year the worst since 2003. In 2025, 1,900 deaths linked to high temperatures were recorded during the three heatwaves the country experienced, and 5,700 between June and September.
