The figures do not include Ukrainian war refugees with temporary protection status. Photo credit: Freepik.
Prague, Dec 12 (CTK) – The population of the Czech Republic rose by 10,200 in the first three quarters of 2022, to 10.527 million, owing its rise to immigration, according to preliminary data the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) released today. The figures do not include Ukrainian war refugees with temporary protection status.
There were almost 409,000 Ukrainian refugees in the country at the end of September, according to the immigration police’s information system.
In terms of natural demographic development, the Czech Republic saw its population decrease in the given period, with the number of deaths exceeding the number of births by 11,200.
“In 2022, the Czech population did not increase by natural development in any of the first three quarters of the year. In comparison, from 2014 to 2020 the number of newborn children always exceeded the number of deaths in the second and third quarters of the year. In 2021, this happened in the third quarter at least,” said Michaela Nemeckova, from the CSU’s demographic statistics department.
Compared to the same period in 2021, a year strongly affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of deaths was lower this year, but so was the number of births.
A total of 88,100 Czechs died from January to September, 15,100 fewer than last year. The number of deaths declined mainly in the age categories of 60-64 and 70-74.
The number of births dropped by 8,400 from the same period last year to 76,900.
The population increase is therefore fully a result of immigrants outnumbering emigrants. Some 44,900 people moved to the Czech Republic from January to the end of September, and 23,500 moved away. The country thus gained 21,400 inhabitants thanks to migration.
The number of weddings increased from the “COVID year” of 2021, and the number of divorces declined.
There were 47,100 couples married in the first three-quarters of 2022, which is 17% more than in the same period of 2021. There were more weddings in the first three quarters of 2022 than the whole of 2021.
This year, 14,700 couples divorced in January-September, a decrease of 1,300 year-on-year, said CSU.
In Prague, the number of inhabitants rose by 5,813 to 1.28 million in the given period. Prague owes the increase mainly to new residents moving to the city from other parts of the country, but the number of births in Prague also exceeded the number of deaths.
A total of 10,199 children were born in Prague and 9,359 people died in the first three quarters of the year, which means a natural population increase of 840.
The city’s population rose by 4,973 as a result of movement of people, with 32,301 people moving to Prague and 27,328 leaving.
Prague registered 5,932 weddings and 1,725 divorces in January-September 2022.
Central Bohemia remains the most populous of the country’s 14 regions with 1.39 million inhabitants at the end of September, followed by Prague. The other two regions with a population of over one million are South Moravia and Moravia-Silesia.
Population movement in Czechia in Q1-Q3 of 2022:
| Population as of Sept 30 | 10,526,937 |
| Overall increase | 10,230 |
| Natural increase | -11,170 |
| Increase as a result of migration | 21,400 |
| Births | 76,895 |
| Deaths | 88,065 |
| Number of immigrants | 44,933 |
| Number of emigrants | 23,533 |
| Weddings | 47,062 |
| Divorce | 14,702 |
