The number of heat-related deaths in the Netherlands has decreased sharply since 2010. Between 2000 and 2009, approximately 7,000 people died due to heat. In the period 2010-2019, that decreased to approximately 4,300 people. The risk of death from heat remains high on extremely hot days.
This is according to research by the RIVM. The decrease is especially visible among the elderly, women, and residents of lower-income neighborhoods. Among people aged 90 and older, the estimated number of deaths remained the same, but that is because there are now more people in that age group.
Although mortality due to heat has generally decreased, the risk remains high on extremely hot days. For example, in July 2019, when it reached 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in the Netherlands, almost 150 more people died than average.
The decrease coincides with the introduction of the National Heat Plan in 2010. That plan warns of persistent heat and helps healthcare providers and organizations to better protect vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and the sick. The plan shares advice about staying indoors, drinking enough fluids, and avoiding physical exertion.
However, according to the RIVM, it is difficult to determine to what extent the heat plan is directly responsible for the decrease. According to the institute, other factors may also have contributed. For example, there was a lot of media attention for heatwaves in 2003 and 2006, which were among the longest and most intense in the Netherlands. People may have become more alert to the risks of heat since then.