An exceptional heatwave that struck France in June has resulted in more than 2,000 excess deaths within a single week, the French Public Health Agency announced on Friday in its first preliminary toll, as reported by the Le Parisien newspaper.
In an interview with TF1 television, French Health Minister Stéphane Rist stated that 2,025 additional deaths were recorded between June 22 and 28 compared to the preceding week. She clarified that these figures remain preliminary, as they are based on only 60% of electronic death certificates and exclude paper records, indicating the final toll is likely to rise.
“Deaths inside homes increased by 91% compared to the previous week,” Rist said. She noted that this sharp rise reflects the severe suffering of individuals living alone, calling for “greater efforts to protect isolated people in their homes.”
Despite the severity of the recent conditions, the minister asserted that this heatwave would not reach the catastrophic scale of the historic 2003 heatwave, which claimed approximately 15,000 lives, predominantly among the elderly. Rist attributed this to nursing homes being significantly better prepared and their staff receiving adequate training, which prevented a massive surge in fatalities within those facilities. However, she highlighted a clear increase in mortality among individuals over the age of 45.
The Public Health Agency is continuing to analyse the data and is scheduled to publish the final figures in three weeks. The agency emphasised that this toll indicates total mortality significantly exceeded the normal average during this period, though it does not necessarily mean all deaths were directly caused by the heat.
Previously, French health authorities had reported approximately 1,000 excess deaths during the absolute peak of the heatwave between June 24 and 26, alongside a 40% rise in at-home deaths during those specific days.
In a related development, Minister of Sports and Youth Marina Ferrari announced that the number of drowning fatalities since June 19 has surpassed 90. Describing the figure as “worrying,” Ferrari said the extreme heat had encouraged swimming in dangerous conditions. While France recorded more than 409 drownings over the course of the summer of 2025, the current season has only just begun.
With the French meteorological agency forecasting a new heatwave starting this coming weekend—although its severity relative to the June event remains uncertain—the government has intervened to bolster healthcare infrastructure. Rist announced an allocation of 100 million euros to enable hospital managers to purchase air conditioning units. She added that between 6,000 and 10,000 air conditioners are expected to arrive at health facilities in the coming days, beginning after the weekend.
