Published : 20 Aug 2026, 02:30 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:34 AM
France recorded 1,243 excess deaths between Jul 3 and Jul 22 when the country was hit by exceptionally high temperatures, the country's health ministry said on Wednesday.
The count includes all deaths regardless of their cause and is an estimate based on death certificates issued during the period.
People aged 75 and older represented about three-quarters of the excess mortality.
July was the hottest month recorded to date in France and one of the driest, the country's weather agency said earlier this month.
Europe as a whole has experienced more extreme warming, linked to human-induced climate change, than any other continent this year, meteorologists have said.
The national health agency had recorded 5,764 excess deaths during the period between Jun 17 and Jul 2.
The tally is preliminary and final data will be available for the whole summer in October or November, the ministry said.
