Key points

• According to Météo-France, the summer of 2023 was the fourth hottest summer recorded in France since the beginning of the 20th century. The 2023 summer monitoring period was marked by four heatwave episodes affecting 73% of the French population, including a particularly intense and prolonged one during the second half of August (with 19 departments under red alert) and a late one in September.

• Nearly 20,000 emergency care visits related to the iCanicule composite health indicator (including heatstroke, dehydration, and hyponatremia) were recorded during the summer, particularly during heatwave episodes (a twofold increase in emergency room visits and a threefold increase for SOS Médecins). All age groups were affected, particularly people aged 75 and older, who accounted for 50% of emergency room visits and 26% of SOS doctor consultations for the iCanicule indicator.

• The number of heat-related deaths over the entire summer monitoring period totaled more than 5,000, representing over 3% of all-cause mortality observed. During heat waves, the number of all-cause deaths attributable to heat totaled more than 1,500, representing over 10% of all-cause mortality observed. People aged 75 and older account for three-quarters of these deaths, both over the entire summer and during heatwave episodes. Additionally, 25% of these deaths occurred among people under the age of 75.

• Eleven fatal workplace accidents potentially linked to heat were reported by the General Directorate of Labor. These fatal workplace accidents occurred throughout the summer (even outside periods of orange or red heatwave alerts) and primarily involved men aged 19 to 70. Nearly half of these fatal workplace accidents occurred during construction and related work.

• Given the frequency of heat waves during the summer of 2023, prevention resources were distributed multiple times. Digital animations were broadcast 10 times, reaching between 1 and 15 departments, for a total of 58.7 million screen views. The TV spot aired nationally from August 18 to 25, 2023. The two radio spots in French were broadcast regionally or nationally five times.

• The summer of 2023 is consistent with the trend observed in recent years, during which an increase in exposure to heat waves has been noted. The observed health impacts underscore the importance of implementing prevention measures to reduce the impact of heat and the need for a strengthened climate change adaptation strategy at the national and regional levels.

• Link to the infographic