Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Oct 23, 2026 1 hour, 3 minutes ago
New European Union mortality statistics have revealed a troubling increase in unexpected deaths during the second quarter of 2026, with several countries experiencing particularly sharp increases in June.
New Eurostat figures reveal a sharp rise in excess deaths across Europe, with mortality surging particularly
dramatically in June 2026.
According to data released by Eurostat, the European Union's statistical office, approximately 45,669 excess deaths occurred between April and June 2026, compared with 35,571 during the corresponding period in 2025.
Excess Deaths Rise Sharply in June
Excess mortality measures deaths exceeding historical expectations, using average monthly mortality figures from 2016 through 2019 as the reference.
The latest figures show that excess mortality across the EU increased from 1.8 percent in April to 3.8 percent in May before reaching 7.1 percent in June.
For the entire second quarter, excess mortality averaged 4.2 percent, compared with 3.2 percent during the same quarter in 2025.
This
Thailand Medical News report highlights how the acceleration became particularly pronounced toward the end of June.
Germany, France and Netherlands Record Major Increases
Germany registered approximately 19,760 excess deaths during the quarter, followed by France with 12,356 and the Netherlands with 6,055.
However, percentage increases revealed another concerning pattern. During June, the Netherlands recorded excess mortality of 22.4 percent, Belgium reached 18.9 percent, and Germany registered 16.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria, Latvia and Lithuania experienced mortality levels below historical expectations, demonstrating substantial differences between European countries.
Weekly Deaths Reveal Sudden Surge
The final week of June presented particularly striking findings.
Approximately 100,300 deaths were recorded across the EU during week 26, representing an 18.4 percent increase over the preceding week and a 16.4 percent increase compared with the corresponding week in 2025.
Belgium experienced a 61.2 percent year-over-year weekly increase, followed by France at 44.1 percent and Germany at 34.5 percent.
Overall, approximately 1.14 million deaths occurred across the EU during the quarter.
What Could Explain the Rising Death Toll?
Eurostat cautions that excess mortality statistics cannot identify individual causes of death.
COVID-19 infections, influenza outbreaks and other health pressures can influence mortality patterns, but the latest figures cannot establish which factors drove these increases.
The statistics also remain provisional and may undergo revisions.
Preliminary Data for July, August, September and Early October Showing Rates Rising
t;
Interesting, preliminary data that have yet to be published shows that excess mortality rates are continuing to rise across Europe in the last few months and weeks. The next report is expected to be published in December.
Conclusions
The findings highlight substantial geographical differences and a concerning acceleration in European mortality during June 2026. Further investigation using cause-specific mortality records, demographic information and environmental data will be essential to determine the underlying drivers and identify potentially preventable deaths.
Institution responsible for the analysis: Eurostat, Statistical Office of the European Union, working with national statistical institutes.
Source publication: Eurostat — Excess Mortality Statistics.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Excess_mortality_statistics 
Share
Tweet
Share
