Lightning Fatalities in Europe (2001–20)

Abstract Lightning strike fatalities across Europe from 2001 to 2020 based on reports from the European Severe Weather Database (ESWD) were analyzed. The ESWD records are based on publicly available sources such as local authorities, police and fire departments, newspapers, and news agencies, collected by the European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL) and its partners. In total, 1282 individual fatalities during this period were recorded in the ESWD. We report on the spatial distribution of fatalities, the distribution of fatalities per age group and gender, whether the victims were at work or undertaking leisurely activities, and in which kind of location they were struck. Furthermore, we considered the circumstances that led to lightning fatalities that occur indoors. We found that an average of 64 people are killed by lightning strikes every year and that the majority (77.8%) are male. The countries with the highest lightning fatality rate are Bulgaria (0.37 fatalities per million inhabitants per year), Moldova (0.36), and Romania (0.27). The lowest rates are found in Belgium, France, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom (0.01 each). The proportion of fatalities in work activities increases from western to southeastern Europe. When working, people are most typically killed when farming, while during leisure, hiking/walking outdoors is their most common activity. Young people between 10 and 19 years of age have the biggest share of all age decenniums with a peak at the age of 15 (33 fatalities). Unlike male fatalities, that see a maximum fatality rate in the age decade of 10–19, female fatalities reach a maximum between 50 and 59 years of age.