Belgium recorded roughly 2,935 excess deaths over the course of three heatwaves this summer, according to Sciensano, the country's public health institute, in what turned out to be its hottest summer on record.
The worst stretch ran from 18 June to 3 July, when 2,035 more people died than would normally be expected, a jump of nearly 49 percent. Sciensano said it was the highest excess mortality recorded during any heatwave since the institute began tracking the figures in 2000. Temperatures reached around 30 degrees for ten straight days during that period, including three days near 35 degrees, with nights staying unusually warm as well.
Three heatwaves, one long summer
Two further heatwaves followed. From 4 to 17 July, excess deaths reached 535, a rise of close to 15 percent, before a third spell running from 28 July to 16 August added another 365 deaths, a more modest uptick of about 7 percent. That final heatwave overlapped with the country's largest wildfire in more than a century, which tore through the High Fens nature reserve during the same weeks.
Belgium's Royal Meteorological Institute has confirmed summer 2026 as the hottest on record nationally, with average temperatures in Brussels reaching 20.3 degrees, about 2.4 degrees above the average of recent decades.
Belgium's toll sits alongside heavy losses reported elsewhere in Europe this summer. Germany has recorded around 14,000 heat related deaths since late August, Spain close to 4,500 since the start of June, and France more than 7,300 excess deaths over the same period. Scientists point to climate change as the driver behind the intensifying heat, noting that 33 countries logged record high July temperatures this year, according to the EU's Copernicus climate monitoring service.