Nearly 10,000 people have died from heat-related causes in Germany this year. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 9,800 heat-associated deaths — more than any full year since 2016, according to infohub.kz.
Experts say the second half of June 2026 was the most severe, with temperatures reaching 40°C (104°F) in many regions, leading to over 5,000 deaths. "Among the heat-related deaths, 7,880 were people aged 75 and older. Additionally, more women died than men, but this can be attributed to the higher proportion of women in older age groups," the institute said. According to RKI, the previous high was in 2018, when around 8,900 people died from heat effects over the entire year.
Experts emphasize that heat is rarely the direct cause of death; rather, fatalities typically result from a combination of high temperatures and pre-existing chronic conditions. Doctors call for upgrading cooling systems in medical facilities. Currently, only a small fraction of patient rooms in German hospitals are equipped with air conditioning or other cooling measures.
Earlier reports suggested that heat across Europe may have caused more than 12,000 deaths in a single week.