Hospitals in Europe at Risk from Heat Waves. The EEA Highlights the Scale of the Problem

European hospitals are already operating under increasingly frequent and severe heat waves, and by mid-century, the scale of this exposure will increase significantly. An analysis by the European Environment Agency shows that 87.4 percent of the facilities included in the study are located in areas where the maximum temperature exceeds 30°C. Under a scenario projecting high levels of warming by 2050, nearly one in five hospitals could experience temperatures above 40°C.

More than half of the facilities are at risk of temperatures above 35°C

The European Environment Agency combined climate data from the Copernicus program with Eurostat information on the locations of healthcare facilities. The analysis covers conditions from recent years and projections through 2050. The calculations for individual temperature thresholds took into account days on which the probability of exceeding those thresholds is greater than 50 percent.

Currently, more than 14,400 facilities—or 87.4 percent of those analyzed—are at risk of maximum temperatures exceeding 30°C. The 35°C threshold applies to 8,500 facilities, or 51.3 percent. Nearly 600 of the analyzed facilities—3.6 percent—are located in areas where temperatures exceed 40°C.

By 2050, exposure to 40°C will increase more than fivefold

The biggest change concerns the highest temperatures. By 2050, under the high-warming scenario, the number of facilities exposed to at least one day with a temperature above 40°C is expected to increase more than fivefold, to over 2,900—or 17.8 percent of all facilities analyzed. At the same time, 68.8 percent of hospitals are expected to experience at least one day with a maximum temperature above 35°C.

In absolute terms, the largest increase in the number of facilities likely to experience temperatures above 40°C is projected for France (from 47 to 1,163 hospitals) and Italy (from 112 to 622). The highest projected percentage of such facilities in 2050 is expected in Serbia, Hungary, and Croatia.

How can heat disrupt hospital operations?

Heat is not only a problem for patients. The EEA points out that high temperatures worsen working conditions for staff, can disrupt the operation of medical equipment and IT systems, and, in extreme cases, lead to the cancellation of scheduled surgeries. Studies cited by the Agency also highlight an increase in hospitalizations during heat waves.

The results of the analysis indicate that hospitals’ resilience to high temperatures cannot be viewed solely as a matter of thermal comfort. It is also about the ability to maintain continuity of care during prolonged heat waves. The EEA highlights the urgent need to adapt facilities to changing climatic conditions. The analysis does not assess the technical condition of individual hospitals or their current level of preparedness for rising temperatures.

Sources:

European Environment Agency, European Climate and Health Observatory, Heat exposure of hospitals, 2026.
https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/observatory/publications-data/analysis-data/heat-exposure-of-hospitals

European Environment Agency, European Climate and Health Observatory, Heat – health impacts, 2026.
https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/observatory/topics/health-impacts/heat-and-health

Eurostat, “New Data on the Accessibility of Healthcare and Education Services,” February 19, 2025.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250219-2