Spain recorded record heat-related mortality in May
Kyiv • UNN
In May 2026, 101 people died in Spain due to the heat, which is a record since 2015. The figure was 3.6 times higher than the decade average.
Spain recorded its highest heat-related death toll in May since records began in 2015, after many parts of Europe experienced record-breaking heat, the country's Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday, UNN writes with reference to Reuters.
Details
According to estimates from Spain's daily mortality monitoring system, 101 deaths related to high temperatures were registered in May 2026, the highest figure for that month since tracking began in 2015.
This number is 3.6 times higher than the average for May over the last decade, highlighting the significant impact of extreme heat on health even before the start of summer in the northern hemisphere, the country's Ministry of Health reported.
The monitoring system, or MoMo for short, estimates that 27,564 deaths were related to high temperatures in Spain between 2015 and 2025.
2022 was the worst year on record with 4,789 deaths, followed by 2025 with 3,832.
The risk of mortality increases by 9.1-10.7% for every degree that the temperature exceeds the health risk threshold.