Spain has recorded the highest number of heat-related deaths ever registered in the month of May, according to data released by the country’s Health Ministry, following an unusually hot period that affected large parts of Europe.
Official estimates from Spain’s daily mortality monitoring system, known as MoMo, show that 101 deaths were attributable to high temperatures during May 2026. The figure marks the highest May heat-related death toll since the monitoring system began tracking such data in 2015.
Health officials said the number is 3.6 times higher than the average recorded for May over the past decade, highlighting the significant health risks posed by extreme temperatures even before the start of the northern hemisphere summer.
The ministry noted that heat can have a substantial impact on mortality rates. According to its estimates, the risk of death increases by between 9.1% and 10.7% for every degree that temperatures rise above established health risk thresholds.
The latest figures add to a growing body of evidence on the health consequences of prolonged periods of extreme heat. Between 2015 and 2025, Spain recorded an estimated 27,564 deaths linked to high temperatures.
Among those years, 2022 remains the deadliest on record, with 4,789 heat-related deaths. It was followed by 2025, when 3,832 deaths were attributed to extreme heat.
