A heatstroke begins with headaches, dizziness and loss of awareness. The body’s regulation system fails, causing body temperature to rise to life-threatening levels. Multiple organ failure and death can follow. But doctors rarely record deaths that can be directly attributed to heat. According to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, an average of 21 such cases were recorded each year between 2004 and 2014.
The 5,120 heat-related deaths in Germany in 2026 through June 28, published by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), is therefore an estimate. But that does not mean the figure is pulled out of thin air. "It is based on a statistical correlation," says Alexandra Schneider, a meteorologist, epidemiologist and deputy director of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Munich.
Statistical link between temperatures and deaths
This estimate was found by comparing death figures collected by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office with temperature trends over a given period measured by the German Weather Service. In the final week of June alone, around 23,600 people died. The weekly average temperature — meaning the average daytime and nighttime temperature over the course of a week — was 26 degrees Celsius. The RKI assumes that heat-related deaths occur from a weekly average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius onward.How to survive heat waves in the cityTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
