Spain has recorded 5,232 deaths attributed to high temperatures so far in 2026, the highest figure since records began in 2015. In August alone, a provisional 2,147 deaths are estimated.
Spain has recorded 5,232 deaths attributable to high temperatures so far in 2026, the highest figure since the Daily Mortality Monitoring (MoMo) system began in 2015. Of these, 2,147 occurred in August, according to the provisional data available on Monday.
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MoMo, run by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), does not count deaths where heat has been individually certified as the cause of death. The system produces statistical estimates of mortality attributable to temperatures, based on mortality data and the effect of temperature.
The 2026 figures already exceed those for the two summers that until now had recorded the highest heat-related mortality since the series began: 2022, with 4,789 deaths, and 2023, with 3,035. The current numbers cover the period since 15 May, when the national plan to deal with the health effects of high temperatures is activated each year.
August nears the series record
July ended with 2,025heat-related deaths, compared with 1,060 recorded in the same month of 2025. It was the second deadliest July in the series, only behind 2022, when 2,217 deaths were estimated.
August has so far recorded 2,147 deaths attributable to high temperatures, although the figure is still provisional and takes about a week to be confirmed. The number is close to the 2,172 recorded in August 2025, which remains, for now, the deadliest August in the series that began in 2015.
The impact is concentrated particularly among older people. Of the 5,232 deaths estimated this year, 5,048 are among those aged over 65. People over 85 account for 62% of the total, with 3,256 deaths. In addition, 60% of the deaths are among women.
The figures come in a summer marked by exceptionally high temperatures. Spain's national meteorological agency AEMET notes that July 2026 was the warmest in the historical series, tied with 2022, while June was the second warmest since records began.
Despite MoMo's record since 2015, the figures do not reach the estimates for the historic 2003 heatwave, when around 13,000 deaths in Spain were attributed to high temperatures. That crisis led to the launch of the Health Ministry's plan to prevent the effects of heat on health.
Moreover, the heat could persist into the start of September. The AEMET forecast points to temperatures above the usual values for this time of year in parts of Spain during the first days of the month.
