Federal Statistical Office: Heat claims around 22 lives annually

Wiesbaden. In recent years, approximately 1,400 people have been treated in hospitals annually for health damage caused by sunlight or heat. According to the Federal Statistical Office, these treatment figures represent the average for the years 2003 to 2023. At just over 800 cases, the number of heat-related inpatient treatments in 2023 was below the long-term average. These injuries include heatstroke and sunstroke.

In years with many hot days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, there is an above-average number of heat-related hospital treatments. In 2003, 2015, and 2018, the German Weather Service (DWD) recorded the highest average number of hot days across Germany since the 1950s, it reported.

The highest number of heat injuries treated as inpatients occurred in 2003, with 2,600 cases on 19 heat days – followed by just over 2,300 heat-related hospital treatments on 17.6 heat days in 2015. In 2018, there were around 1,600 heat-related hospital treatments on 20.4 heat days.

People also die annually from heat-related injuries – the average death toll from 2003 to 2023 was 22. However, this does not include heatstroke, sunstroke, or skin cancer. However, very high temperatures increase mortality overall, as in many cases the combination of heat and pre-existing conditions increases the risk of death. According to the Federal Office for Climate Change, 37 people died in 2023 from injuries caused by heat and sunlight, significantly more than the average.

In recent years, the number of hospital treatments due to heat and sunlight has tended to decline, the statisticians explained. "This is partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which all hospital treatments declined," they said. Increased public awareness of the health risks of heat could also be a reason for the decline.

RND/dpa