Barcelona recorded 306 deaths attributed to heat in 2025, a 57% rise on the 194 reported in 2024, according to the Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, the city public health agency. Over the past decade, the agency says about 3,500 deaths in the city have been linked to heat.
The figures matter now because Catalonia is already facing its first heatwave of summer 2026. Officials are urging residents, especially older people, families without adequate cooling, outdoor workers and people with existing health conditions, to avoid peak heat, stay hydrated and check on vulnerable neighbours and relatives.
ASPB’s published report on heat-attributable mortality in Barcelona says extreme heat has a greater impact on vulnerable groups, including older residents, people in poor health and households with fewer resources to cool their homes. The agency says the pattern reflects rising temperatures and the unequal effect of extreme heat across the population.
The new warning comes as Meteocat, Catalonia’s official weather service, forecasts very high temperatures and torrid nights during the first heatwave of the summer period. Protecció Civil has also issued advice urging people to limit exposure and take precautions.
According to the daily mortality monitoring system run by Universidad Carlos III and cited in wider reporting, 13 deaths were attributed to rising temperatures in Catalonia this June, all between Monday and Tuesday this week. Catalan health data also tracks excess mortality linked to extreme conditions, including heat, through the Departament de Salut, the regional health department.
Residents should follow the official heat advice issued by Meteocat, Protecció Civil and 112 Catalunya, the emergency service. That means drinking water regularly, avoiding outdoor activity in the hottest part of the day, keeping homes shaded and checking on people who may need help. People who feel unwell from the heat, or who see someone with symptoms such as confusion, fainting or breathing difficulty, should call 112.
