According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), there have already been more heat-related deaths in Saxony this year than in the previous year. Including the extreme heat wave at the end of June, the RKI estimates 230 deaths in the Free State. For the entire year of 2025, an estimated 100 people are expected to have died as a result of the heat. Nationwide, the RKI estimates that there have been 5,120 heat-related deaths so far.
Since summer has only just begun, the numbers could still rise significantly depending on weather conditions. According to the RKI, there were 510 heat-related deaths in Saxony during the particularly hot and dry year of 2018, and 410 in 2019.
This includes cases in which exposure to heat—such as heatstroke—directly caused death. In most cases, however, a combination of pre-existing conditions and heat leads to death, according to the RKI. Heat is usually not listed as the cause of death on the death certificate. For this reason, the RKI compiles statistical data on heat-related deaths.
