Extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people a year: Swiss Re

(Reuters) — Extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people annually, surpassing the combined death toll from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes, and poses growing risks to infrastructure, the economy and health care systems, Swiss Re said Thursday.

The world’s second-largest reinsurer pointed to data from July last year, which recorded the planet’s hottest three days ever.

“With a clear trend to longer, hotter heatwaves, it is important we shine a light on the true cost to human life, our economy, infrastructure, agriculture, and health care systems,” said Swiss Re Chief Economist Jerome Haegeli.

U.S. heatwaves are now three times more frequent than in the 1960s, lasting longer and becoming hotter, Swiss Re said.

The rise in extreme heat events also intensifies risks such as wildfires, crop failures and infrastructure breakdowns, with global insured losses from wildfires alone reaching a combined $78.5 billion between 2015 and 2024, Zurich-based Swiss Re said in a risk report.