Heat is often a contributing factor to other conditions that prove fatal – Image: Amrei Schulz/photothek.de/picture alliance
Germany: The heat-related death toll for 2026 has already surpassed every full-year total since 2016 — and is expected to climb as another spell of extreme temperatures takes hold.
Nearly 10,000 people have died in connection with high temperatures in Germany this year, more than in any full year since 2016, according to estimates from the Robert Koch Institute.
The institute estimated 9,800 heat-related deaths between the beginning of April and July 19. The previous highest annual figure of the past decade was around 9,000 in 2018.
Germany: What the mortality figures tell us
More than 5,000 of this year’s deaths were linked to the intense heatwave in the second half of June, when temperatures approached 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.
The European Union’s Copernicus climate service said June 2026 was the hottest June ever recorded in western Europe.
Germany’s Federal Statistical Office reported that deaths in the week from June 22 to 28 were 32% higher than in the same period last year. The Robert Koch Institute attributed at least 5,100 deaths during that period to the heat.
Why the figure is an estimate
Heat is rarely recorded as the direct cause of death unless a person dies from a condition such as heatstroke.
In most cases, high temperatures aggravate existing cardiovascular, respiratory or kidney conditions. Heat, therefore, often does not appear on death certificates and is sometimes described as a “silent cause of death.”
The institute estimates heat-related mortality by comparing actual deaths during hot periods with the number normally expected at that time of year.
Its monitoring is published with a delay because it relies partly on mortality figures compiled by the Federal Statistical Office.
The estimate stood at around 7,900 deaths for the period from early April through July 12. Another 1,900 were attributed to heat during the week from July 13 to 19.
The final figure for the summer could therefore rise further because the current estimate does not cover hot weather after July 19 and may be revised as more complete mortality data becomes available.
Older people face the greatest danger
People aged 75 and above accounted for almost 7,900 of the estimated deaths.
The figures included 5,420 people aged 85 or older, 2,460 aged between 75 and 84, and 1,260 aged between 65 and 74.
Around 630 of those who died were younger than 65.
The institute said mortality typically rises noticeably during weeks in which the average temperature exceeds 20 degrees Celsius.
Its analysis draws on measurements from 52 weather stations operated by the German Weather Service.
Scientists say human-caused climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, longer and more intense, increasing the risk of heat-related illness and death.
DW.com/NAN 30-07-26
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