France records 2,025 excess deaths from heatwave, but data remains incomplete

France’s public health agency has issued an early mortality snapshot showing the toll of the late-June heatwave, saying 2,025 additional deaths were recorded in France between June 22 and June 28 compared with the previous week.

Santé publique France said the increase amounted to 29.1% week over week. It published the bulletin on July 3 and described the figures as incomplete, warning that the final mortality count will be higher once slower reporting channels are added.

The agency said the snapshot was based on national electronic death certificates. It also came after an earlier preliminary estimate of about 1,000 extra deaths, before fuller data were available.

What the bulletin shows

The latest bulletin offers the clearest official view yet of how the record June heat affected mortality across the country, but it is not a final assessment. Public Health France said the numbers should be treated as an early signal rather than the endpoint of the inquiry.

AP reported that the agency counted 8,973 deaths for the week and that it was the hottest week of the record June heatwave. Le Monde, citing the official bulletin, said the figures rely on electronic death certificates and likely understate the full toll.

The agency has said a complete assessment of the heatwave’s mortality impact will take months. For now, the 2,025 figure is the minimum confirmed excess deaths reflected in the available data.

Who was most affected

The bulletin said 85% of the excess deaths were among people aged 65 and older, underscoring the disproportionate risk faced by older adults during extreme heat.

It also showed that deaths at home rose 91% week over week. Deaths in nursing homes increased 37%, while deaths in hospitals and private clinics rose 19.7%.

The Paris region was especially hard hit. It accounted for nearly one-third of the additional deaths and saw a 62.8% increase, making it one of the areas with the sharpest week-to-week change.

Why the figure is incomplete

Santé publique France released the bulletin early because not all death certificates had yet been processed. That means the current figure is partial and expected to move higher as paper certificates and slower regional reports are added.

The agency said the early publication was meant to provide transparency and a public-health warning while the full picture is still forming. It has not yet provided a final national total for the heatwave.

That uncertainty matters for interpretation. The official count is enough to show that the heatwave had a substantial national effect, but not enough to measure the event’s full mortality impact or compare it precisely with past heatwaves.

What comes next

Health officials are expected to update the tally as more records arrive. A fuller regional breakdown may also emerge in later bulletins.

The broader public-health question is whether current heat-response measures are sufficient as France faces more intense summer extremes. The agency’s own warning that a complete assessment will take months suggests the final toll will remain under review well beyond this initial release.

For now, France’s July 3 bulletin is the first official national indicator that the late-June heatwave was deadly on a significant scale, even before all of the data have been counted.