Heat stress - Cities and FUAs — Mean population exposure to heat in Gent
Gent: Heat stress - Cities and FUAs — Mean population exposure to heat was 11.81 Days per year in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Heat stress - Cities and FUAs — Mean population exposure to heat in Gent, 1981–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Days per year.
Analysis
In 2025, heat stress - cities and fuas — mean population exposure to heat in Gent stood at 11.81 Days per year.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 62.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, heat stress - cities and fuas — mean population exposure to heat in Gent peaked at 18.07 Days per year in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.0065 Days per year, in 1985.
Gent ranks 913th of 1315 regions on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Heat stress - Cities and FUAs — Mean population exposure to heat in Gent, year by year
| Year | Days per year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 3.71 Days per year | — |
| 1982 | 13.13 Days per year | +253.8% |
| 1983 | 10.44 Days per year | -20.5% |
| 1984 | 3.77 Days per year | -63.8% |
| 1985 | 0.0065 Days per year | -99.8% |
| 1986 | 5.17 Days per year | +79548.2% |
| 1987 | 3.23 Days per year | -37.5% |
| 1988 | 1.6 Days per year | -50.4% |
| 1989 | 5.55 Days per year | +246.7% |
| 1990 | 9.97 Days per year | +79.5% |
| 1991 | 3.29 Days per year | -67.0% |
| 1992 | 3.93 Days per year | +19.4% |
| 1993 | 3.18 Days per year | -19.1% |
| 1994 | 16.19 Days per year | +409.3% |
| 1995 | 18.07 Days per year | +11.6% |
| 1996 | 3.01 Days per year | -83.4% |
| 1997 | 12.79 Days per year | +325.4% |
| 1998 | 7.6 Days per year | -40.6% |
| 1999 | 6.1 Days per year | -19.7% |
| 2000 | 2 Days per year | -67.2% |
| 2001 | 10.97 Days per year | +448.5% |
| 2002 | 9.64 Days per year | -12.1% |
| 2003 | 14.18 Days per year | +47.1% |
| 2004 | 4.79 Days per year | -66.2% |
| 2005 | 8.94 Days per year | +86.6% |
| 2006 | 13.97 Days per year | +56.3% |
| 2007 | 1.46 Days per year | -89.5% |
| 2008 | 3.29 Days per year | +125.2% |
| 2009 | 4.72 Days per year | +43.4% |
| 2010 | 9.12 Days per year | +93.1% |
| 2011 | 2.91 Days per year | -68.1% |
| 2012 | 3.39 Days per year | +16.5% |
| 2013 | 8.79 Days per year | +159.6% |
| 2014 | 5.69 Days per year | -35.3% |
| 2015 | 7.25 Days per year | +27.4% |
| 2016 | 12.37 Days per year | +70.7% |
| 2017 | 11.53 Days per year | -6.8% |
| 2018 | 17.53 Days per year | +52.0% |
| 2019 | 11.8 Days per year | -32.7% |
| 2020 | 16.42 Days per year | +39.2% |
| 2021 | 1.87 Days per year | -88.6% |
| 2022 | 12.7 Days per year | +577.1% |
| 2023 | 11.72 Days per year | -7.7% |
| 2024 | 11.4 Days per year | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 11.81 Days per year | +3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.18 Days per year | 0.0065 Days per year | 13.13 Days per year | 9 |
| 1990s | 8.41 Days per year | 3.01 Days per year | 18.07 Days per year | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.4 Days per year | 1.46 Days per year | 14.18 Days per year | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.04 Days per year | 2.91 Days per year | 17.53 Days per year | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.99 Days per year | 1.87 Days per year | 16.42 Days per year | 6 |
More population data for Gent
- Population by age and sex - Cities and FUAs 272,657 Persons (2025)
- Population by citizenship - Cities and FUAs 17.8 Percentage of population (2025)
- Population and built-up density - Cities and FUAs — Urbanised area 29 Square kilometres (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is heat stress - cities and fuas — mean population exposure to heat in Gent?
- Heat stress - cities and fuas — mean population exposure to heat in Gent was 11.81 Days per year in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest heat stress - cities and fuas — mean population exposure to heat recorded in Gent?
- The highest recorded value was 18.07 Days per year in 1995.
- What is the lowest heat stress - cities and fuas — mean population exposure to heat recorded in Gent?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0065 Days per year in 1985.
- How does Gent rank for heat stress - cities and fuas — mean population exposure to heat?
- Gent ranks 913th out of 1315 regions with data for 2025.
- Is heat stress - cities and fuas — mean population exposure to heat rising or falling in Gent?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gent data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Heat stress - Cities and FUAs — Mean population exposure to heat stress. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset provides an indicator of population exposure to heat stress. Data sources and methodology The indicator uses the Universal Thermal Comfort Index (UTCI). The UTCI enables to assess the impact of atmospheric conditions on the human body by considering air temperature, wind, radiation and humidity. UTCI values from 32°C to 38°C are considered as strong heat stress, from 38°C to 46°C as very strong heat stress, and above 46°C as extreme heat stress. Population exposure to heat stress was computed using the hourly thermal comfort indices grids from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (Di Napoli C. et al.). For each 0.25° by 0.25° grid cell, the number of days for which the maximum UTCI value is above each heat stress threshold (32°C, 38°C and 46°C) is computed. FUA and city level indicators correspond to the population-weighted average number of days above each heat stress threshold, obtained by intersecting the computed grid with the Global Human Settlement Population layer (European Commission, GHSL Data Package 2023). These estimates may differ from official subnational climate statistics due to differences in methodological approaches, such as the use of reanalysis based top down modelling versus in situ observations, along with variations in input data sources, spatial resolution, and the models and algorithms used to generate temperature estimates. Defining FUAs and cities The OECD, in cooperation with the EU, has developed a harmonised definition of functional urban areas (FUAs) to capture the economic and functional reach of cities based on daily commuting patterns (OECD, 2012). FUAs consist of: A city – defined by urban centres in the degree of urbanisation, adapted to the closest local administrative units to define a city. A commuting zone – including all local areas where at least 15% of employed residents work in the city. The delineation process includes: Assigning municipalities surrounded by a single FUA to that FUA. Excluding non-contiguous municipalities. The correspondence table between SAUs and FUAs/cities is available in parquet and csv format. The definition identifies 1 272 FUAs and 1 269 cities in all OECD member countries except Costa Rica and three accession countries. Cite this dataset OECD Regions, cities and local areas database (Heat stress - Cities and FUAs), http://oe.cd/geostats Further information OECD Local Data Portal OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email CitiesStat@oecd.org