Germany recorded an estimated 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer, with around 9,600 occurring in a single week in late June when temperatures exceeded 40°C, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
The heatwaves and drought have contributed to an exceptionally hot summer across Europe, leading to a significant rise in heat-related mortality in several countries.
Spain’s public health institute reported nearly 4,500 heat-related deaths since June 1, while French health authorities recorded more than 7,300 excess deaths during the same period.
In Germany, people aged over 75 accounted for the largest proportion of heat-related deaths, the public health authority said.
The institute noted that extreme heat can directly cause deaths in cases such as heatstroke, but in most cases it worsens existing health conditions, making it difficult to identify heat as the underlying cause on death certificates.
As a result, statistical methods are used to estimate the number of deaths linked to high temperatures.
The institute said it has been monitoring heat-related mortality for the past decade, with the previous record standing at 8,900 deaths in 2018. A separate medical publication had estimated around 10,000 heat-related deaths in 1994.
Heat-related deaths have fallen below 2,000 in some years, with the institute attributing the fluctuations to differences in the severity of heatwaves.
The extreme heat and drought have also affected Germany’s economy, contributing to wildfires, reduced agricultural output and declining water levels in major rivers used for cargo transportation.
Meanwhile, ministers from the centre-left Social Democrats, junior partners in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government, have called for “climate adaptation and nature conservation” to be incorporated into Germany’s constitution, known as the Basic Law.
