Since the start of 2026, nearly 9,800 people have died in Germany as a result of the effects of high air temperatures. As of 19 July, this figure had already exceeded the number of fatalities recorded in any full year since 2016.
WHAT DATA DID THE ROBERT KOCH INSTITUTE RELEASE
According to DW, citing the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), by 19 July 2026 the number of heat-related deaths stood at 9,800.
The previous maximum was recorded in 2018, when around 8,900 people died over the whole year as a result of the effects of heat. The RKI links the increase to prolonged periods of extremely high temperatures observed in the country early in the summer.
WHEN WAS THE MOST SEVERE PERIOD
The most difficult part of the year was the second half of June, when temperatures reached 40°C in many regions.
During this period, according to RKI data, more than 5,000 heat-related fatalities were recorded.
WHO WAS MOST VULNERABLE
Of those who died, 7,880 were aged 75 or over.
The institute also notes that more women died than men. Experts attribute this difference to the higher proportion of women in the older age groups of the population.
The RKI stresses that heat very rarely becomes the direct cause of death. As a rule, fatalities are linked to a combination of high temperatures and pre-existing chronic conditions.
WHAT MEASURES DO EXPERTS PROPOSE
Germany's former health minister Karl Lauterbach has called for stronger measures to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. In an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper, he said it was necessary to "save everything that can still be saved", noting that thousands of lives were at stake.
In his view, measures already in use should be rolled out across the country, including heat information portals and hotline telephone numbers for the timely information and support of people at risk.
Separately, the German Hospital Association called for the modernisation of cooling systems in medical facilities. According to the organisation, only a small proportion of wards in German hospitals are equipped with air conditioning or other cooling means.
CONTEXT
This summer, Europe faced one of the most extensive waves of extreme heat on record. Temperature records were broken in several countries at once, and the extremely high temperatures led to increased mortality and put health systems under strain.
Between 21 and 30 June, more than 1,300 excess heat-related deaths were recorded across European countries. France was named one of the worst-affected countries. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called heat stress a "silent killer" and urged European countries to implement population protection measures more actively.
