Heat-Related Deaths Have Increased More than 100% in the Past Two Decades

The number of heat-related deaths in the U.S. increased 117% between 1999 and 2023, according to new research. The research comes after a summer of scorching temperatures and heat waves in the U.S.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday found that the number of annual heat-related deaths jumped from 1,069 in 1999 to 2,325 in 2023. In total, there were 21,518 heat-related deaths in that 24-year period. In the last seven years alone, researchers found a sharp increase in heat-related deaths, coinciding with record-breaking high temperatures.