Cold kills more than heat but climate change will reverse trend

More people die globally from cold than from heat, but rising global temperatures are expected to shift that balance, according to a report by Swedish broadcaster SVT.

A recent study published in The Lancet estimates that between 2000 and 2019, cold-related deaths worldwide were nine times higher than heat-related fatalities. However, the UN’s climate panel projects that as the planet warms, heatwaves will become more frequent, longer, and more intense, eventually surpassing cold as the deadlier extreme.

Climate change is already amplifying the impact of heatwaves, with a late-June heatwave in Europe this year linked to over 10,000 excess deaths. The trend is expected to accelerate as global warming progresses.