An estimated 4,652 heat-related deaths occurred in England and Wales in 2022, the highest figure for any year from 1988 to 2025, according to new analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The rolling five-year average for the proportion of deaths associated with the hottest days of the year has risen steadily, reaching 0.39% for 2021-25, up from 0.10% for 2011-15 and 0.31% for 2016-20.
While extreme cold weather continues to be linked with a higher proportion of deaths, the gap has narrowed significantly. In 2011-15, 0.73% of deaths in England were associated with the coldest days, 0.63 percentage points ahead of the figure for the hottest days. By 2021-25, this gap had shrunk to 0.27 percentage points, with heat-related deaths accounting for 0.66% of the total.
Trend driven by more frequent hot weather
The trend is being driven by more frequent and persistent periods of very hot weather, which saw heat-related deaths peak in summer 2022, when temperatures in the UK reached 40C for the first time on record.
A similar pattern is evident in Wales, where the gap between cold and heat-related deaths narrowed from 0.70 percentage points in 2011-15 to 0.20 percentage points in 2021-25.
Three of the top five highest annual estimates for heat-related deaths in England and Wales are from the past 10 years: 2025 (2,805 deaths), 2018 (2,617) and 2022. The other peaks were in 1995 (3,864 deaths – the second highest figure since 1988) and 2006 (2,827).
Regional variations across England
The ONS analysis shows that London had the highest proportion of heat-related deaths from 1988 to 2025, at 0.36% of all deaths, while north-west England had the lowest at 0.15%.
The ONS said the London figure might reflect “certain socioeconomic factors that influence vulnerability to heat” that are more prevalent in the capital, such as living costs and household overcrowding, which “may limit the capacity to adapt to high temperatures”.
Overall, an estimated 42,133 deaths in England and Wales were associated with the hottest days between 1988 and 2025, compared with 149,042 for the coldest days. Annual cold-related deaths peaked in 2010 at 19,105, a year that saw the coldest December since Met Office records began in 1884.
Calls for action on home insulation
The ONS produced its estimates by modelling the number of deaths likely to be associated with the coldest 2.5% and hottest 2.5% of days across the time series, where mortality risk was increased.
Commenting on the findings, James Tucker of the ONS said: “As our climate changes, including more frequent and prolonged periods of very hot weather, it is important to understand how both heat and cold affect mortality over time.”
Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth, said: “Many of these deaths can be avoided with action to upgrade the nation’s homes – that’s why the Government must accelerate and increase spending on its Warm Homes programme, targeted in the areas that need it most.”
