The Ricardo Jorge National Institute of Health (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge or INSA) reported 680 excess deaths in Portugal during three periods this summer. The highest mortality spike occurred between July 2 and July 8, coinciding with an extreme heatwave that health authorities say aggravated pre-existing conditions, particularly among those aged 75 and older. Separately, data shows that road mortality has remained stagnant over the last decade, with 589 road deaths recorded in 2025.
Portugal records 680 excess deaths during summer heatwaves
Thursday, 6 August 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
Excess mortality is the number of deaths above what would be expected based on historical averages (commonly a multi‑year baseline), and it captures deaths directly and indirectly caused by events like epidemics, heatwaves or healthcare disruptions. Portugal’s public health institute INSA (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge) monitors excess mortality to see the broader impact of seasonal illnesses and other stresses on the health system, so a drop in flu cases does not automatically mean overall mortality has returned to normal. Those following public‑health trends should note excess‑mortality figures because they show the pandemic and other factors’ continuing effect on population health.
6 sources
- Portugal recorded 680 excess deaths across three periods this summerdn.pt ·
- Portugal recorded 680 excess deaths during three periods in the summer of 2026rtp.pt ·
- 680 excess deaths during the 2026 heatwavesobservador.pt ·
- Road deaths: the “case” we should be discussingpublico.pt ·
- Portugal has stagnated in the fight against road accidents: road deaths in 2025 are as high as they were ten years agoPúblico ·
- Portugal failed to reduce road mortality: number of deaths is practically the same as ten years agocnnportugal.iol.pt ·
