Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch was born in Clausthal, a small mining town in the Harz Mountains of Germany. He was the third of thirteen children born to Hermann Koch, a mining official, and his wife Mathilde Julie Henriette née Biewend.

Even as a young child, Koch demonstrated a keen intellect and a voracious appetite for learning. He taught himself to read at a very young age by using newspapers.

Koch attended the Gymnasium (high school) in Clausthal, receiving a classical education and excelling in science and mathematics. He showed a particular aptitude for natural sciences, foreshadowing his later scientific pursuits.

Koch began his medical studies at the University of Göttingen. Initially drawn to botany, he was influenced by anatomist Jacob Henle, who had proposed that infectious diseases were caused by living organisms. Koch pursued medical studies, attending courses in medicine, anatomy, physiology, and chemistry. He also spent one semester in Berlin.

Koch completed his doctoral dissertation on succinic acid formation in animal tissues, earning his medical degree from the University of Göttingen. This work provided him with important research experience and introduced him to experimental scientific methodologies.

Following graduation, Koch served in the Franco-Prussian War as a medical officer. He then completed a medical internship in Hamburg.