More than 5,000 excess deaths recorded as heatwave grips Germany

Preliminary data showed 5,486 excess deaths in the last full week of June, Robert Koch Institute expected to release its estimate of heat-related deaths later this week.

Police spray water canon at the Brandenburg Gate during a heat wave in Berlin in June. | Bloomberg

Germany recorded more than 5,000 excess deaths during the late-June heat wave, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office.

In the last full week of June, 5,486 more deaths were recorded than the 2022–2025 median, according to data from the office, which is also known as Destatis. The weekend that closed out the period coincided with the peak of the heat wave, when the temperature reached a national record of 41.7C (107.1F).

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is expected to publish its estimate of heat-related deaths later this week.

The figures are the latest evidence of the deadly toll of recent extreme temperatures across Europe. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves on the world’s fastest-warming continent, placing growing strain on health, transport and power systems. Spain and France have also reported heat-related deaths in the thousands.

“The association between excess deaths and heat is undisputed,” said Alexandra Schneider, deputy director of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Munich. “It’s clear that heat leads to more deaths. This was already evident during the 2003 heat wave, when the number of deaths skyrocketed on the same days and in the aftermath of days with extreme temperature.”

While healthy people might be able to handle the heat, Schneider said, those with pre-existing conditions and specifically vulnerable subgroups such as the elderly, infants or socially-isolated people were particularly at risk.

Another bout of extreme temperatures is already unfolding across Europe. France is at its center, while Germany is also expected to experience above-normal heat this week and next.

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