The extreme temperatures experienced in Germany at the end of June caused more deaths than previously estimated and more than in any full year since 2016. In total, there were 9,600 heat-related deaths between June 22 and 28, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported this Thursday.
Likewise, according to these figures, the number of heat-related deaths this year amounts to about 11,900 to date. Thus, most of the deaths are due to the days of extreme temperatures at the end of June, when temperatures even exceeded 40 degrees in some areas, something never seen before in the country. In this way, many more people have already died this year from this cause than in any full year since 2016. Until now, 2018 had been the year with the highest number of deaths, with an estimated 8,900 victims throughout the year. It should also be noted that the situation continues in Germany, where maximum temperatures between 29 and 36 degrees are expected this weekend, so the figure is likely to continue rising until the end of summer.
The RKI data is based, among other things, on monitoring death figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) and information from 52 weather stations of the German Weather Service (DWD). Since the calculation of deaths from this cause is based on a statistical model, there is a margin of uncertainty, which means the figure could be even higher than estimated. Therefore, the number of 5,100 deaths, of which 4,310 corresponded to the last week of June when the intense heat wave occurred, published in early July has now more than doubled. In addition, to justify these considerably higher data, the institute explained that the effects of the June heat wave had not yet been fully “evident,” since mortality figures from the federal states are published with a five-week delay and also because “temperatures of such magnitude had hardly been recorded in Germany, or not at all.”
“In some cases, such as heat stroke, exposure causes immediate death, while in most cases it is the combination of exposure and pre-existing illnesses that leads to death,” explained RKI experts. “Therefore, heat usually does not appear on the death certificate as the underlying cause of death. Instead, statistical methods must be applied to estimate the magnitude of heat-related deaths.” Thus, it is calculated by comparing the number of deaths in summer weeks with and without heat waves.
In Germany, a country ill-prepared to cope with extreme temperatures, this phenomenon usually causes an increase in mortality. Heat waves are especially dangerous for the elderly. Most of the deaths recorded so far were people aged 85 or older; about 6,060 deaths. In addition, nearly 3,000 of those who died from heat were between 75 and 84 years old, and almost 1,800 between 65 and 74 years old. For those under 65, just over 1,100 deaths were recorded.
Normally, according to scientists, the increase in mortality due to heat becomes evident from a weekly average temperature of 20 degrees, that is, the average of daytime and nighttime temperatures over a week. From June 22 to 28, the weekly average temperature across the country was 26.4 degrees. In all federal states, an average temperature above 20 degrees was recorded that week.
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According to the DWD, June 2026, with an average of 19.5 degrees, was the second warmest since records began. Only June 2019 was warmer. In addition, the night of June 27 to 28 was, according to current data, the warmest since records began. The weather service recorded temperatures above 41 degrees on several occasions. On June 27, 46 stations across Germany exceeded the 40-degree mark.
The Federal Medical Association, about 80 other European health organizations, along with numerous environmental groups, demand that Germany and the EU redouble their protection efforts. “The declaration of a climate emergency must translate into binding commitments and extreme heat must be recognized as a serious health hazard,” the entities stated in a communiqué. Doctors demand, among other things, that care centers, daycares, and schools adapt to climatic conditions. Most hospitals and clinics do not have air conditioning, nor do they even have blinds to protect rooms from direct sunlight. Clear regulations only exist for air in operating rooms or radiology departments, as the equipment simply cannot withstand the heat. Nursing homes or care facilities are also unprepared, and temperatures can exceed 30 degrees at night in many elderly people’s rooms, as recently happened.
But equipping hospitals and care homes costs a lot of money, and these spaces have faced increasing financial challenges for years. The recent hospital reform currently poses great financial uncertainties for health centers. Additional investments in air conditioning systems, apart from intensive care units—which mostly already have cooling—seem utopian at this time.
In this context of extreme temperatures and drought, which not only increases the risk of forest fires but also causes new historic lows in rivers such as the Rhine and the Elbe, the Fridays for Future association has called for a demonstration this Thursday afternoon at the gates of the Berlin Chancellery to demand a plan to be better prepared for future contexts similar to recent ones. “All of Germany is suffering unprecedented heat waves. The number of fatalities increases every week, while in Spain and France hundreds of thousands of people are forced to flee massive forest fires,” they wrote in the call. In addition, a broad alliance formed by nature protection associations, social organizations, and unions demanded the holding of a national summit on this problem.
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