BARCELONA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Europe recorded 181,000 heat-related deaths over the past three summers, according to a new study done by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) published Monday in Nature Medicine. The summer of 2024 alone, the hottest on record, saw 62,775 heat-related deaths between June and September. In total, 15 countries experienced their highest-ever heat-related mortality rates. The Mediterranean and Southeast regions are most affected, with significant health impacts and rising heat-related mortality," said ISGlobal researcher Natalia Shartova. The study identified women and the elderly as the most vulnerable groups, with women suffering 46.7 percent more deaths than men and people over 75 facing a 323 percent higher mortality rate than other age groups.