Germany records around 14,000 heat-related deaths this year

Around 14,000 people have died from heat-related causes in Germany since the beginning of 2026 up to 9 August, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country’s leading public health authority, on Thursday (20 August). The figure equates to nearly 17 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the RKI’s latest report on heat-related mortality. The number of heat-related deaths recorded so far this year has already exceeded the total recorded in any previous full year. The previous record was set in 2018, when around 9,000 heat-related deaths were recorded, as reported by the German Press Agency (DPA). The RKI stated that the estimated number of heat-related deaths in Germany this year continues to rise. Heatwaves pose a particularly high risk to elderly citizens, with excess mortality from heat surging sharply among those aged 75 and above. Nearly 10,500 of the total heat-related deaths recorded so far this year came from this age group.