The number of heat-related deaths has fallen significantly since 2010 when a national heat protection plan was put into place, an evaluation by health institute RIVM has shown.

Some 7,000 people succumbed to the heat in the first 10 years of the century, prompting the health ministry to activate a warning system to help protect vulnerable groups.

Between 2010 and 2019, the number of heat-related fatalities plummeted to 4,300 but, experts warned that extreme heat is still a huge risk factor.

In 2019, when temperatures reached an unprecedented 40.7° on July 25, some 549 deaths were registered the following day, almost 150 more than the average.

“That is a unique figure,” RIVM researcher Jochem Klompenmaker told RTL Nieuws. “On no other day in the summer periods between 2000 and 2019 did the death toll exceed 500.” The figure is worrying, he said, because climate change is expected to boost temperatures even further.

People are becoming more aware of the risks, the researchers said, but it is not clear if the heat plan – a listing of measures to take to avoid heat stress which is activated during extreme temperatures – was the major contributor to this.

Media attention may have played a role. In 2003 and 2006, the prolonged heat waves dominated the headlines and it may be that people and organisations were taking notice, the researchers said.

People most at risk of death during periods of high temperatures are the elderly, women, and people living in low-income areas.

Younger people, too, are at risk from potentially fatal heat stroke. In 2024, 25 Leiden marathon runners had to be taken to hospital suffering from heat exhaustion  while in Groningen, a runner died of suspected heat-related causes.

According to climate scenarios for the Netherlands, the number of tropical days, with temperatures over 30°, will increase. “Measures to limit damage to health caused by heat remain essential,” the RIVM said.