Europe · Central Europe
Czechia Demographics
Czechia ended 2025 with 10.916 million residents. Deaths exceeded births by 35,701, while positive international migration kept the annual population balance above zero. Fertility fell to 1.28 births per woman, and 20.8% of residents were aged 65 or older.
Sources: Czech Statistical Office population balance, births and deaths statistics, Czech Demographic Handbook 2024, Population Development in the Czech Republic in 2024, and administrative statistics on foreign citizens.
Last updated: July 21, 2026
Core Demographic Indicators
Migration Kept the Population Growing as Natural Loss Deepened
Czechia recorded more deaths than births in every year from 2020 through 2025. Positive international migration offset that loss, although the scale of the migration balance varied widely from year to year.
The 2022 increase was exceptional. Residents granted temporary protection after the Russian invasion of Ukraine were incorporated into the population balance when they met the statistical definition of usual residence. The later moderation of migration did not reverse the natural decrease.
| Year | Natural Change | Net International Migration | Total Population Change | Measure Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | −131 | +44,270 | +44,139 | Final population balance |
| 2020 | −19,089 | +26,927 | +7,838 | Final population balance |
| 2021 | −28,098 | +49,969 | +21,871 | Final population balance |
| 2022 | −18,920 | +329,742 | +310,822 | Final balance including qualifying temporary-protection residents |
| 2023 | −21,646 | +94,672 | +73,026 | Final population balance |
| 2024 | −27,900 | +36,845 | +8,945 | Final population balance |
| 2025 | −35,701 | +42,040 | +6,339 | Preliminary population balance; migration component derived from the balance equation |
Natural Change and Net International Migration
Annual population-balance components, 2019–2025
Source: Czech Statistical Office. The 2025 migration component is derived from preliminary total and natural population change.
How Migration Changed the Total
- Without international migration, Czechia would have lost population in every year from 2020 through 2025.
- The 2022 net migration balance of 329,742 was almost nine times the 2024 balance.
- Natural decrease widened from 19,089 in 2020 to 35,701 in 2025.
- The 2025 migration surplus exceeded natural loss by only 6,339 residents.
Early 2026 movement: Preliminary data for the first quarter placed the population at about 10.896 million, a decrease of 19,800 from the start of the year. Births numbered about 17,500, deaths 30,100, and net international migration was approximately −7,300. Part of the negative migration balance reflected expired temporary-protection records.
The End-Year Series Contains a Census Break and a 2022 Migration Jump
Czechia’s end-year population remained close to 10 million for much of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The series rose after 2000, was rebased after the 2021 census, and then increased sharply in 2022 as the treatment of temporary-protection residents changed the recorded population stock.
End-Year Resident Population
Selected years from 1950 to 2025
Source: Czech Demographic Handbook 2024 and the preliminary 2025 population balance. The 2021 census rebasing creates a statistical break.
| Year | End-Year Population | Measure Type | Series Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8,978,854 | Historical end-year population | Reconstructed national series |
| 1960 | 9,566,172 | Historical end-year population | Administrative and census-based series |
| 1970 | 9,809,667 | Historical end-year population | Administrative and census-based series |
| 1980 | 10,292,717 | Historical end-year population | Administrative and census-based series |
| 1990 | 10,364,124 | Historical end-year population | End-year stock before the post-1990 decline |
| 2000 | 10,266,546 | Historical end-year population | End-year resident population |
| 2010 | 10,532,770 | Historical end-year population | End-year resident population |
| 2020 | 10,701,777 | End-year resident population | Pre-2021 census population base |
| 2021 | 10,516,707 | Census-adjusted resident population | Statistical break following census rebasing |
| 2022 | 10,827,529 | End-year resident population | Includes qualifying temporary-protection residents |
| 2023 | 10,900,555 | End-year resident population | Final population balance |
| 2024 | 10,909,500 | End-year resident population | Final population balance |
| 2025 | 10,915,839 | Preliminary end-year resident population | Subject to later revision |
Differences Between Population Measures
- The decrease between 2020 and 2021 includes a census-related adjustment and should not be read as ordinary annual demographic loss.
- The increase of 310,822 during 2022 reflects an exceptional migration balance rather than a rise in births.
- Population growth slowed to 8,945 in 2024 and 6,339 in 2025 even though the end-year population reached a new recorded high.
Fertility Fell Across First, Second and Later Births
The period total fertility rate rose from 1.14 in 2000 to 1.83 in 2021, then declined to 1.28 by 2025. The recent fall was not confined to young women postponing motherhood. Fertility also declined within the 25–29, 30–34 and 35–39 age groups.
Between 2021 and 2024, the first-order fertility rate fell by about 26%, the second-order rate by about 24%, and the rate for third and later births by about 23%. Fewer first births also reduce the number of families able to progress to a second birth in subsequent years.
Total Fertility Rate
Selected years, 1950–2025, with a broad replacement-level benchmark
Source: Czech Demographic Handbook 2024 and Czech Statistical Office 2025 births statistics. The 2.1 line is a broad benchmark, not a fixed national threshold.
| Year | Total Fertility Rate | Measure Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.80 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 1960 | 2.11 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 1970 | 1.91 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 1980 | 2.10 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 1990 | 1.89 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 1995 | 1.28 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 2000 | 1.14 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 2005 | 1.28 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 2010 | 1.49 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 2015 | 1.57 | Period births per woman | Historical series |
| 2020 | 1.71 | Period births per woman | Final |
| 2021 | 1.83 | Period births per woman | Final |
| 2022 | 1.62 | Period births per woman | Final |
| 2023 | 1.45 | Period births per woman | Final |
| 2024 | 1.37 | Period births per woman | Final |
| 2025 | 1.28 | Period births per woman | Preliminary |
Birth Order Shows Where the Decline Occurred
| Year | Live Births | First Births | Second Births | Third or Later Births | First-Order TFR | Second-Order TFR | Third-or-Later TFR | Mean Age at First Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 110,200 | 52,414 | 41,432 | 16,354 | 0.85 | 0.62 | 0.24 | 28.5 years |
| 2021 | 111,793 | 51,900 | 43,623 | 16,270 | 0.88 | 0.69 | 0.25 | 28.8 years |
| 2022 | 101,299 | 46,905 | 39,130 | 15,264 | 0.78 | 0.61 | 0.23 | 28.8 years |
| 2023 | 91,149 | 42,165 | 35,658 | 13,326 | 0.70 | 0.55 | 0.20 | 28.9 years |
| 2024 | 84,311 | 38,522 | 33,177 | 12,612 | 0.65 | 0.53 | 0.19 | 29.0 years |
Why Delayed Motherhood Does Not Explain the Entire Fall
- Fertility among women aged 25–29 fell from 108.8 births per 1,000 women in 2020 to 87.5 in 2024.
- The rate for ages 30–34 declined from 110.4 to 90.8 per 1,000 over the same period.
- The rate for ages 35–39 decreased from 53.3 to 43.8 per 1,000.
- First births fell to 38,522 in 2024, 13,378 fewer than in 2021.
2025 update: The number of live births declined further to 77,636. The average age of mothers at childbirth was 30.6 years, while the average age at first birth was 29.2 years.
Smaller Child Cohorts Sit Below Large Mid-Life Cohorts
The share aged 0–14 declined from 16.2% in 2022 to 15.5% in 2024, while the share aged 65 or older reached 20.7%. The median age rose to 44.3 years, and there were 133.4 residents aged 65 or older for every 100 children aged 0–14.
The five-year age structure is uneven. In 2024, the 45–49 group contained about 929,000 people, compared with 511,100 children aged 0–4. The 80–84 group grew by about 20,200 during the year, an increase of 7.0%.
Broad Age Structure
Share of the resident population by broad age group, 2020–2024
Source: Czech Statistical Office. This is a broad age-structure chart, not a population pyramid.
| Year | Ages 0–14 | Ages 15–64 | Ages 65+ | Share Aged 0–14 | Share Aged 65+ | Median Age | Ageing Index | Dependency Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,719,700 | 6,823,700 | 2,158,300 | 16.1% | 20.2% | 43.3 years | 125.5 | 69.0 |
| 2021 | 1,693,400 | 6,654,200 | 2,169,100 | 16.1% | 20.6% | 43.8 years | 128.1 | 71.0 |
| 2022 | 1,750,800 | 6,868,900 | 2,207,800 | 16.2% | 20.4% | 43.7 years | 126.1 | 71.5 |
| 2023 | 1,727,800 | 6,935,500 | 2,237,300 | 15.9% | 20.5% | 44.0 years | 129.5 | 71.9 |
| 2024 | 1,690,800 | 6,962,800 | 2,255,900 | 15.5% | 20.7% | 44.3 years | 133.4 | 72.0 |
Where the Age Balance Shifted
- The child population declined by 60,000 between 2022 and 2024.
- The population aged 65 or older increased by about 48,100 over the same two years.
- The working-age share remained close to 64%, partly because recent migration added adults in younger working ages.
- The ageing index rose from 125.5 in 2020 to 133.4 in 2024.
2025 age update: Residents aged 65 or older numbered 2,272,755 and represented 20.8% of the population. The Czech Statistical Office’s current projection places the mid-century share near 29%. That projection is scenario-based and does not represent a guaranteed outcome.
Temporary Protection Changed the Scale and Timing of Migration
International migration has been positive in each year shown, but the number of entries and exits changed markedly after 2022. Immigration reached 349,548 in 2022 and then declined, while emigration rose to 84,978 in 2024.
The 2025 balance remained positive at about 42,000. Ukrainian citizens accounted for approximately 23,100 of that balance, followed by Slovak citizens at about 5,900 and Philippine citizens at about 3,900.
| Year | Immigration | Emigration | Net Migration | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 65,571 | 21,301 | +44,270 | Final |
| 2020 | 55,661 | 28,734 | +26,927 | Final |
| 2021 | 69,201 | 19,232 | +49,969 | Final |
| 2022 | 349,548 | 19,806 | +329,742 | Final; temporary-protection effect included |
| 2023 | 141,263 | 46,591 | +94,672 | Final |
| 2024 | 121,823 | 84,978 | +36,845 | Final |
| 2025 | Approximately 110,600 | Approximately 68,600 | Approximately +42,000 | Preliminary values rounded to the nearest hundred |
Foreign Citizenship Is Now a Larger Part of the Resident Population
Czechia recorded 1,131,197 foreign citizens at the end of 2025, equivalent to about 10.4% of the end-year population. Foreign citizenship is an administrative category and should not be treated as the same measure as foreign-born population.
1,131,197 people were registered as foreign citizens at the end of 2025.
612,953 people, or about 54% of the foreign-citizen stock.
125,280 people, or about 11% of the foreign-citizen stock.
736,929 had temporary residence status and 394,268 had permanent residence status.
Growth Was Concentrated in Prague, Central Bohemia and South Moravia
National population growth did not extend evenly across Czechia in 2024. Prague and Central Bohemia recorded the largest increases, while Moravian-Silesian, Ústí nad Labem and Karlovy Vary recorded population losses.
Regional net migration combines movements between Czech regions with international migration. It therefore uses a broader definition than the national international-migration balance.
| Region | End-Year Population | Natural Change | Net Migration | Total Change | Share Aged 65+ | Average Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital City of Prague | 1,397,880 | +293 | +12,855 | +13,148 | 18.4% | 41.9 years |
| Central Bohemian | 1,466,215 | −2,773 | +13,048 | +10,275 | 18.8% | 41.8 years |
| South Bohemian | 653,227 | −1,856 | +578 | −1,278 | 21.8% | 43.6 years |
| Plzeň | 614,640 | −1,687 | +2,953 | +1,266 | 20.7% | 43.2 years |
| Karlovy Vary | 293,195 | −1,587 | −295 | −1,882 | 21.6% | 44.0 years |
| Ústí nad Labem | 808,356 | −3,361 | +548 | −2,813 | 20.8% | 43.2 years |
| Liberec | 449,494 | −1,477 | +243 | −1,234 | 21.0% | 43.2 years |
| Hradec Králové | 555,923 | −1,740 | +714 | −1,026 | 22.7% | 44.0 years |
| Pardubice | 530,469 | −1,241 | +1,150 | −91 | 21.2% | 43.2 years |
| Vysočina | 517,647 | −1,224 | +911 | −313 | 21.7% | 43.5 years |
| South Moravian | 1,229,343 | −2,371 | +4,965 | +2,594 | 20.6% | 42.9 years |
| Olomouc | 631,500 | −2,024 | +660 | −1,364 | 22.0% | 43.8 years |
| Zlín | 578,998 | −1,859 | +113 | −1,746 | 22.3% | 44.2 years |
| Moravian-Silesian | 1,182,613 | −4,993 | −1,598 | −6,591 | 21.6% | 43.9 years |
Where Population Growth Was Concentrated
- Prague and Central Bohemia together gained 23,423 residents in 2024.
- Prague was the only region with positive natural change, recording 293 more births than deaths.
- Central Bohemia gained population despite a natural decrease of 2,773 because its net migration balance was +13,048.
- Moravian-Silesian recorded both natural decrease and negative net migration, producing a total loss of 6,591.
Life Expectancy Recovered While the Population Continued to Age
Period life expectancy rose over the long term for both sexes. It fell during 2020–2021 and then recovered, reaching 77.49 years for males and 83.19 years for females in 2025.
A higher life expectancy contributes to growth in older age groups, but the number of residents requiring intensive care cannot be inferred from the 65+ share alone. The size and health profile of the 80+ population are separate measures.
Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex
Selected years, 1950–2025
Source: Czech Demographic Handbook 2024 and Czech Statistical Office 2025 deaths statistics.
| Year | Male | Female | Female–Male Gap | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 62.01 years | 66.82 years | 4.81 years | Historical life table |
| 1960 | 67.96 years | 73.48 years | 5.52 years | Historical life table |
| 1970 | 66.06 years | 73.03 years | 6.97 years | Historical life table |
| 1980 | 66.88 years | 73.98 years | 7.10 years | Historical life table |
| 1990 | 67.57 years | 75.43 years | 7.86 years | Historical life table |
| 2000 | 71.63 years | 78.39 years | 6.76 years | Historical life table |
| 2010 | 74.40 years | 80.63 years | 6.23 years | Final life table |
| 2020 | 75.30 years | 81.38 years | 6.08 years | Final life table |
| 2021 | 74.09 years | 80.51 years | 6.42 years | Final life table |
| 2022 | 76.15 years | 82.01 years | 5.86 years | Final life table |
| 2023 | 76.89 years | 82.78 years | 5.89 years | Final life table |
| 2024 | 77.15 years | 83.14 years | 5.99 years | Final life table |
| 2025 | 77.49 years | 83.19 years | 5.70 years | Preliminary life table |
Indicators That Will Show the Next Demographic Direction
The number of first births will show whether the decline is mainly postponement or a continuing reduction in family formation.
Annual entry figures need to be read alongside emigration, expired residence records and changes in temporary-protection status.
The 0–4 population stood at about 511,100 in 2024. Further contraction would feed into school-age and later labor-force cohorts.
Growth among people aged 80 or older will provide a more direct measure of advanced ageing than the broad 65+ share alone.
Data Sources and Methodology
The profile prioritizes Czech Statistical Office resident-population statistics. Historical values, current estimates and preliminary releases are identified separately. No missing years were interpolated. Displayed percentages and long values may be rounded, while sortable table values retain the underlying numeric amount where available.
| Source | Release or Data Year | Used For | Measure Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Statistical Office — Population Change | 2025 and first quarter 2026 | Current population, births, deaths, natural change, international migration and early 2026 movement | Preliminary resident-population balance |
| Czech Statistical Office — Population Estimates, Structure and Projection | 2025 and mid-century projection | Average age, population aged 65+, and projected older-age share | Current resident population and scenario-based projection |
| Czech Statistical Office — Births and Deaths Statistics | 2025 | Live births, total fertility rate, maternal age, deaths and life expectancy | Preliminary vital statistics and period indicators |
| Czech Demographic Handbook 2024 | Historical series through 2024 | End-year population, fertility, migration, life expectancy and regional population change | Harmonized historical statistical series |
| Population Development in the Czech Republic in 2024 | 2020–2024 | Broad age structure, birth order, age-specific fertility and cohort distribution | Official demographic analysis based on CZSO data |
| Czech Statistical Office — Number of Foreigners | End of 2025 | Foreign-citizen stock, citizenship groups and residence categories | Administrative foreign-citizenship stock |
Natural change equals live births minus deaths. The exact 2025 net migration component is derived as total population change minus natural change; separately published immigration and emigration values are rounded. Female–male life-expectancy gaps and the foreign-citizen share are arithmetic calculations from displayed source values.
The ageing index expresses the number of residents aged 65 or older per 100 children aged 0–14. The dependency ratio in the age table follows the source definition of residents aged 0–19 and 65+ per 100 residents aged 20–64.
Methodological Safety Note: The 2021 population value follows census rebasing and is not directly comparable with the preceding end-year stock as an ordinary annual change. Population balances from 2022 onward include qualifying temporary-protection residents under the usual-residence definition. National net migration refers to international movement, while regional net migration combines internal and international flows. Foreign citizenship is not the same as country of birth. The 2025 and first-quarter 2026 values are preliminary. Fertility rates are period measures and do not state the completed family size of a birth cohort. Projection values depend on assumptions about mortality, fertility and migration and are not guaranteed predictions.