The Czech Republic’s natural population has been dropping since 2019. Credit: ZM/BD.
Prague, Dec 12 (CTK) – The population of the Czech Republic increased by 54,700 in the first nine months of 2023, to 10.88 million. The increase was mostly driven by migration, as more people died than were born during this period, according to preliminary data released today by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU).
Compared with the same period last year, the number of babies born decreased by 11%, and the birth rate decreased for all women under the age of 45.
The population of Prague increased by almost 20,000 to 1.38 million in the first three quarters of this year. This rise was due to both migration and the number of births exceeding the number of deaths in the capital city. The vast majority of Prague’s new residents were people who had moved in.
At the beginning of the year, Prague had 1.357 million inhabitants, and at the end of the third quarter, 1.377 million. During the whole period, 54,959 people moved to Prague and 35,634 moved out.
From January to September, the number of marriages and divorces in the Czech Republic was also lower than in the first nine months of last year.
The number of deaths decreased as well.
Up to the end of September, 116,700 people had arrived in the Czech Republic from abroad this year, while 48,600 people left the country during this time.
CSU said that two-fifths of those who left the country were recorded in September, as the deadline for the extension of the temporary protection visa expired and these refugees did not apply to the authorities to extend it.
The difference between the number of deaths and births was 13,300, while in the same period of last year, it was 10,500. From January to September, 69,200 babies were born and 82,600 people died. In the first three quarters of 2022, 77,800 babies were born and 88,400 people died.
According to CSU data, the Czech Republic has been losing population naturally, as more people die than are born, since 2019. In the previous 13 years, with the exception of 2015 and 2013, statisticians recorded more births than deaths, while for 12 years before that, from 1994 to 2005, there was a continuous natural population decrease.
A total of 41,500 couples got married in the Czech Republic in 2023, 14% fewer than the first nine months of last year. Some 14,400 married couples got divorced.
By the end of September, the number of inhabitants increased in most regions, while statisticians recorded a decline only in the Usti nad Labem and Moravia-Silesia regions. In the Usti nad Labem Region, the population decreased by 2,113 to 810,224 in the first nine months of the year. In Moravia-Silesia, the population dropped by 62 to 1,189,612, but thanks to migration, this was the smallest decline in 15 years.
The Moravia-Silesia Region is the fourth most populous region in the country. Prague, South Moravia and Central Bohemia also have more than one million inhabitants each. At the end of September, 1.45 million people lived in Central Bohemia. On the other hand, the Karlovy Vary Region has the lowest number of inhabitants, approximately 295,000.
Population in individual regions of the Czech Republic
| Region | Population on Sept 30, 2023 | Difference as against Jan 1, 2023 |
| Prague | 1,377,136 | 19,810 |
| Central Bohemia | 1,452,113 | 12,722 |
| South Bohemia | 654,336 | 2,033 |
| Plzen | 611,181 | 5,793 |
| Karlovy Vary | 294,753 | 1.158 |
| Usti | 810,224 | -2.113 |
| Liberec | 450,419 | 1,242 |
| Hradec Králové | 556,652 | 1,385 |
| Pardubice | 530,250 | 1,489 |
| Vysocina | 517,598 | 2,821 |
| South Moravia | 1,224,293 | 7,093 |
| Olomouc | 632,822 | 1,020 |
| Zlin | 580,846 | 315 |
| Moravia-Silesia | 1,189,612 | -62 |
| Czech Rep. | 10,882,235 | 54,706 |
