The heatwaves, droughts, and floods that marked the summer of 2025 caused 43 billion euros in losses for the European economy, according to a study by economists published on Monday, which emphasizes that these immediate costs are just the beginning.
A resident walks among the rubble of houses destroyed by a forest fire in the village of San Vicente de Leira, in northwestern Spain, in the province of Ourense, on August 19, 2025 (Photo: Miguel Riopa/AFP)
Paris – Forty-three billion euros in losses, this is the cost of extreme weather events last summer for the European Union, according to a study led by Sehrish Usman from the University of Mannheim (Germany) with two co-authors from the European Central Bank.
The research relies on both weather data and economic models for estimating damages, intensified by climate change.
It takes into account direct consequences such as the destruction of roads, buildings, or crops during floods, but also indirect ones like production losses caused by the time taken to rebuild a factory, loss of life, or costs related to adaptation.
The study also incorporates longer-term impacts. By taking these into account, by 2029, the macroeconomic costs generated by the disasters of summer 2025 could reach 126 billion euros.
Spain, France, and Italy emerge as the most affected countries, each facing losses exceeding 10 billion euros this year. (September 15, 2025)
