Belgium recorded Europe’s highest excess mortality rate during the late-June heatwave, according to EuroMOMO data reported by several Flemish newspapers on Monday.
Belgium’s public health institute, Sciensano, said 2,000 additional deaths were registered during the June heatwave and the first days of July, representing excess mortality of 48%.
That figure was far higher than in neighbouring France, where excess mortality stood at 23%, and the Netherlands, where it was 13%, despite similar temperatures.
However, when Belgian figures are compared only with northern France, excess mortality was similar on both sides of the border.
People living in poorer regions were hit hardest by the extreme heat. Biostatistician Geert Molenberghs of KU Leuven and Hasselt University told the Flemish press that clear socio-economic factors help explain the gap, including differences between Flanders and Wallonia.
“It is less hot in a large house with some greenery around it than in a crowded flat,” he said.
Even when Flanders is considered separately, the region was still more severely affected, with excess mortality of 31%, higher than in France and the Netherlands.
Molenberghs said Belgium’s fragmented approach to construction and urban planning may also have played a role. He said the Netherlands has a far more structured approach and recorded the lowest figures among neighbouring countries.
Belgium is also more densely urbanised on average, limiting opportunities for cooling and increasing the impact of high temperatures.
Molenberghs added that national averages can mask important regional differences. While northern France was hit as hard as Belgium, deaths in southern and especially south-eastern France remained close to normal levels.
Those regions are better adapted to high temperatures, helping to reduce the impact of the heatwave.
