More than 5,100 people in Germany died from heat-related causes this year until the end of June, the Robert Koch Institute reports. But how can researchers prove that someone died because of soaring temperatures?

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.