Extreme heat is placing increasing pressure on Switzerland, which is warming at more than twice the global average rate, according to analysis from Swiss Re Institute.

It says rising temperatures are creating risks across health, agriculture, water, energy and infrastructure, while also increasing the likelihood and severity of other natural hazards.

Switzerland now experiences around 10 to 15 days each year with temperatures of 30°C or above, compared with around five days in 1990. Cities are particularly exposed, with urban temperatures reaching up to 6°C higher than surrounding rural areas.

Extreme heat can increase the risk of heatstroke, dehydration and cardiovascular problems, particularly among older people and those with existing health conditions. During the 2003 European heatwave, Swiss mortality rose by around 1.5%.

Gianfranco Lot, Swiss Re’s country president, Switzerland, said: "Switzerland is well prepared for floods and storms. But heat is a different kind of risk: less visible, harder to insure, and able to amplify risks the country already manages well. For heat, resilience means shade on the street, cool rooms in care facilities, safer hours for outdoor work and risk sharing where losses cannot be prevented.”

Heat is also affecting other natural hazards. Flooding remains Switzerland’s largest insured natural catastrophe risk, accounting for around 60% of average annual insured losses. Dry soils can increase flash flood risk after heavy rainfall, while rising temperatures and thawing permafrost can destabilise Alpine slopes.

Swiss Re highlights the Blatten rock and ice avalanche in May 2025, which caused insured losses of CHF320m, as an example of how long-term environmental change is influencing risk.

It says adaptation measures are increasingly being implemented at a local level, including changes to urban planning, greater use of shade and water features, and measures to protect vulnerable groups during periods of extreme heat.


Pictured: Swiss Re headquarters, Campus Mythenquai (Christian Richters, 2017)

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