Hot weather kills over 500,000 each year, up 20% from 1990s: Report

More than half a million people around the world die each year from heat-related causes, according to an Oct. 28 report published in British medical journal The Lancet.

Rising global temperatures have driven up the heat death toll by over 20 per cent since the 1990s, after being adjusted for population, Bloomberg reported.

This translates to approximately roughly one heat-related death every minute.

Rising temperatures all around the world

The numbers come in the wake of a year of record-setting temperatures globally.

In 2025, several countries in Europe were hit by intense heatwaves over the summer, with temperatures in Spain and Portugal peaking at 46°C, Bloomberg reported.

Parts of Asia also experienced severe heat.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, as cited in Asahi Shimbun, Japan recorded its third straight year of record-breaking summer heat in 2025.

Temperatures of 40 degrees of higher were recorded at 25 locations in Japan.

Meanwhile, South Korea experienced its hottest summer on record, with an average daily high over the summer of 30.7°C.

It saw an average of 28.1 heat wave days, according to The Korea Herald.

In Singapore, climate change has led to an additional 99 days of extreme heat since May 2024.

Toll on economy, productivity

Bloomberg reported that lost labour productivity due to heat led to an estimated US$1 trillion (about S$1.29 trillion) in income losses in 2024.

This is close to one per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP).

Sleep disruption linked to high temperatures also increased by nine per cent in 2024.

The study further highlighted other worsening climate-related health threats.

For example, wildfire smoke exposure contributed to more than 150,000 deaths globally in 2024.

Dengue transmission potential has surged by nearly 50 per cent since the 1950s, as the warmer and wetter conditions attract mosquitoes.

Nearing "psychological tipping points"

According to report co-author Ollie Jay, parts of the world may be inching closer towards "physiological tipping points".

These are points where heart and humidity levels become too extreme for humans to survive.

The pace at which climate change is occurring has fuelled such concerns. The report found that without climate change, most days of heat wave conditions experienced by people around the world wouldn't have happened at all.

Furthermore, new evidence suggests that this "tipping point" might not be that far off.

Serious risks begin at cooler and drier conditions than previously thought, said Jay.

According to another Lancet report published earlier this week, heat-related deaths in Latin America have more than doubled since 2000, reaching around 13,000 each year.

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