Thousands of Germans hospitalized due to heat between 2002 and 2022

An average of almost 1,500 people per year were treated in Germany's hospitals due to heat and intense sun exposure between 2002 and 2022.

"Extreme heat is now a problem for the health of the population here in Germany," the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden announced on Monday.

The number of deaths directly caused by heat averaged 20 cases per year in the study period.

However, very high temperatures also lead to an overall increase in mortality, as they have an indirect effect in many cases. The combination of extreme summer temperatures and pre-existing illnesses significantly increases the risk of death.

The number of heat-related hospital treatments was often higher in years with many hot days, according to the government statisticians. Germany's Weather Service defines heatwave days as those where temperatures rise to 30 degrees Celsius or more. In the 20-year study period there were an average of 17.6 such days.

The statisticians say that in 2015, for example, the number of cases of damage caused by heat and sunlight treated in hospital was 59% higher - at 2,322 - than the overall average for the years 2002 to 2022. According to the data, 60 deaths in the same year were due to heat or sunlight - three times as many as the average for the study period.

The statisticians counted the most hospital treatments - 2,600 cases - due to heat or sunlight in 2003.

The Federal Office's survey refers to figures from hospital statistics and statistics on causes of death, as well as data provided by the German Weather Service.