Heat & Cold Exposure
Global mortality data, country rankings, and trends for Heat & Cold Exposure from 1990 to 2021.
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Heat & Cold Exposure is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. This page presents data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study, showing mortality trends, country rankings, and regional patterns. Understanding the epidemiology of heat & cold exposure helps inform public health interventions and resource allocation.
This data is sourced from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, processed via Our World in Data. Values represent each cause's share of total deaths (%) unless otherwise noted. Explore related mortality data using the links below.
Excessive heat and cold exposure kill hundreds of thousands of people annually, though estimates vary widely due to measurement challenges. Cold-related mortality dominates globally, with cardiovascular and respiratory deaths increasing substantially during winter months, particularly among the elderly and those in fuel poverty. Heat-related mortality is rising as climate change drives more frequent and severe heatwaves: the 2003 European heatwave caused over 70,000 excess deaths, while the 2022 heatwave killed over 60,000. South Asia, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa face increasing occupational heat stress, with outdoor workers in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing at greatest risk. The elderly, infants, people with chronic diseases, and those taking certain medications are physiologically vulnerable to both temperature extremes. Climate projections suggest heat-related mortality will increase dramatically over coming decades, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions already near human thermal tolerance limits.
Across 202 countries, heat & cold exposure accounts for an average of 0.2% of total deaths. Regional disparities are substantial: Europe & Central Asia has the highest regional average at 0.6%, while Latin America & Caribbean records the lowest at 0.0% — a 26.2-fold difference that underscores the geographic inequality in heat & cold exposure mortality burden.
Heat action plans — early warning systems, public cooling centres, work-rest schedules for outdoor workers, and urban heat island mitigation (green spaces, reflective surfaces) — reduce heatwave mortality. Adequate housing insulation, heating fuel subsidies, and winter preparedness programmes address cold-related deaths. Climate adaptation investments in infrastructure, social protection systems, and health system preparedness are essential for reducing environmental temperature mortality in a warming world.