Heat linked to at least 15,800 deaths in Germany through mid‑August
Robert Koch Institute says most deaths occurred during the late‑June heatwave; figures cover April 6–August 16, 2026.
Heat this year has been linked to at least 15,800 deaths in Germany through mid‑August, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said, with the single largest toll coming during an extreme heatwave at the end of June.
The RKI estimates that roughly 9,600 of the deaths are connected to the late‑June temperatures. An additional 4,000 heat‑related deaths were recorded during the first two weeks of August. The institute’s weekly report covers the period from April 6 to August 16.
Record numbers compared with recent years
The institute said the total is substantially higher than in any of the previous ten years. Earlier peaks were recorded in 2019, when heat was estimated to have caused 7,600 deaths, and in 2018 with 9,500 deaths. RKI officials noted that estimates for past years are recalculated monthly and may shift slightly.
RKI described its figures as conservative, warning that the true toll could be higher. Uwe Janssens, medical executive director of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), has pointed out that many heat‑related fatalities are not recorded as such because death certificates often list immediate causes like organ failure rather than heat.
Older people have been hardest hit: more than half of this year’s heat‑related deaths—about 7,960—occurred among those aged 85 and over. Approximately 3,900 deaths were recorded in the 75–84 age group, 2,440 among people 65–74, and 1,470 among those younger than 65. Overall, more women than men died, a pattern the RKI attributes to the higher share of women in the oldest age groups.
RKI’s estimates are based on mortality data from the Federal Statistical Office combined with measurements from 52 meteorological stations operated by the German Weather Service (DWD). The institute notes that heat‑related mortality typically becomes noticeable when the weekly average temperature — calculated from day and night readings — reaches about 20°C.
Photo: press material from the event
