10,000 deaths due to heat in Germany since the beginning of 2026

Estimates from Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for disease control indicate that approximately 10,000 people have died across Germany since the beginning of 2026 due to rising temperatures. According to a report issued by the institute, the estimated number of heat-related deaths through late July last year reached around 9,800 cases. This figure exceeds the total recorded deaths in any year since 2016; the highest number of heat-related deaths in the past decade was recorded in 2018, when the annual total reached approximately 9,000 cases.