Germany records an estimated 14,000 heat-related deaths in 2026

An estimated 14,000 people have died from heat-related causes in Germany this year, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country’s leading public health authority.

The figure, covering the period from the beginning of 2026 to 9 August, is equivalent to nearly 17 deaths for every 100,000 people, the RKI said in its latest heat mortality report.

Germany’s estimated heat-related death tolls this year has already exceeded the total recorded during any previous full year. The earlier high was registered in 2018, when approximately 9,000 people were estimated to have died because of extreme temperatures, according to German news agency dpa.

Older people have been affected disproportionately. Nearly 10,500 of this year’s heat-related deaths involved people aged 75 or above, with excess mortality increasing sharply in that age group.

The RKI said the estimated toll had continued to rise as repeated periods of extreme heat placed vulnerable populations under growing pressure.

The World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe warned last month that extreme temperatures were becoming an increasingly serious public health threat and called on governments and individuals to improve preparedness.

Europe is warming at approximately twice the global average, making it the world’s fastest-warming continent, according to the WHO. Increasing temperatures are also placing sudden pressure on essential services, including health and social care systems.

WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri P. Kluge said heat had caused more than 200,000 deaths across the region over the past four years. Heat-related mortality in Europe had risen by 30 per cent over the previous two decades, he added.

“Heat deaths are not inevitable,” Kluge said, calling for stronger early-warning systems, cooler urban spaces, improved access to water and shade, targeted assistance for vulnerable groups and better-prepared healthcare services.

With IANS inputs