Spain has recorded 5,232 heat-related deaths this summer, the highest figure since the daily mortality monitoring system (MoMo) began in 2015. The number, which includes 2,147 deaths in August alone, surpasses the previous annual highs of 4,789 deaths in 2022 and 3,035 in 2023, according to data from the system.
The MoMo system does not quantify actual deaths but produces a statistical projection by cross-referencing data on maximum temperature thresholds and deaths from civil registers with figures from other years, as reported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin. The system's estimates cover the period from 15 May, when the Ministry of Health's preventive plan is activated annually, to the end of August.
July ended with 2,025 deaths, compared with 1,060 in July 2025, making it the second-deadliest month since 2022, when 2,217 deaths were recorded. August 2026 stands at 2,147 as of this Monday, a figure similar to last year's, which is currently the deadliest since 2015 with 2,172, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
The vast majority of deaths this summer occurred among those aged 65 and over, with 5,048 deaths. People over the age of 85 account for 62 per cent of the total, with 3,256 deaths, and women, accounting for 60 per cent of the total, are the most affected. These patterns are consistent with previous summers, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
The figures, however, have not yet reached those of the historic summer of 2003, when some 13,000 people lost their lives in Spain as a result of high temperatures. That summer led to the Ministry of Health designing and implementing a plan to prevent the health effects of heat, which is activated every year on 15 May, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
The extreme conditions this summer included temperatures regularly climbing into the mid-40s Celsius (113°F), with multiple regions bracing for peaks of 45°C during successive heatwaves. The Majorca Daily Bulletin described it as the driest June–July period since 1961. Spanish meteorologists previously reported that the first half of 2026 was the warmest in the kingdom in the past 65 years, with June being the second-warmest June on record and July the hottest and driest since records began in 1961, as reported by TASS.
The dry terrain fueled catastrophic wildfires, including a single record-breaking fire that destroyed over 50,000 hectares in the Ávila province. Extreme weather heavily impacted agriculture and tourism, with analysts estimating the summer could cost the Spanish economy up to €24 billion, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.