Statistics Reveal Over 40,000 Shocking Deaths Due to Extreme Heat in England Since 1988

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Wednesday, 26 August, that more than 40,000 excess deaths in the UK have been linked to extreme heat between 1988 and 2025.

ONS's figure doesn't include the deaths recorded during this year's scorching summer, which has been closely watched and is on track to become the UK's deadliest year for heat-related deaths.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, an estimated 2,877 people have died during the severe heatwaves recorded in May and June of 2026, which is almost double the figure recorded across the entire 2025 summer.

Emma Howard Boyd, the chair of the National Heat Risk Commission, stated, 'Behind these numbers are people, families and communities.' She added that today's challenge is to ensure people's homes, neighbourhoods, infrastructure, and public services are prepared to protect the most vulnerable.

Scientists Point to Climate Change

The 40,000+ figure presented by the ONS takes into account the deaths occurring during the hottest 2.5% of outdoor temperatures recorded between 2988 and 2025. According to research, the risk of dying increases significantly when temperatures in the country climb beyond 24C.

Researchers also found that older people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat.

While London recorded the highest number of deaths linked with the highest temperatures, nearly every English region also experienced a significantly higher risk of death during periods of extreme heat.

Scientists point to climate change as the reason behind the continuous worsening of temperatures in England. Dr Clair Barnes, a statistician at Imperial College London, stated, We now face the very real prospect of heat deaths overtaking those that occur on the coldest days.'

'As this summer has made abundantly clear, the risk from extreme heat is a fast-growing problem that will only worsen without further action to reduce emissions and provide cooling,' she added.

As the year eases into its second half, it demonstrates just how quickly the situation could worsen. The heatwaves England experienced between May and June have caused an estimated 2,700 deaths in both the UK and Wales, more than 40% of which were linked to human-caused global warming.

The Gap in Heat- and Cold-Related Deaths Has Narrowed

England's cold weather is still responsible for a significantly higher number of deaths compared to extreme heat. ONS's findings saw around 139,000 excess deaths associated with the coldest days during the same time period when the 40,000 heat-related deaths were recorded.

James Tucker, a statistician from the Office for National Statistics, stated, 'Our results show that the gap between heat- and cold-related deaths has narrowed in recent years as the proportion of heat-related deaths has increased.'

A Grim Warning

The year 2026 has been a grim warning, with experts even warning that heat deaths could eventually overtake deaths associated with the coldest days if current trends continue. In August, temperatures reached 38.1C at Kew Gardens in London, making it the hottest day of the year so far.

Gareth Redmond-King, of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, also spoke on the national issue. He stated that if the country doesn't prioritize net zero emissions, which he says is the only solution to bringing our climate back into balance, the previous dangerous summer would be 'one of the coolest of the rest of our lives.'