The Czech Republic has seen a record increase in the number of foreigners residing in the country, according to recent data from the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ). The population of the Czech Republic has grown to 10.88 million people during the first nine months of the current year, mainly due to migration.
The data revealed that over 1.1 million foreigners were living in the country by the end of last year, representing 10.3% of the total population. This shows a significant demographic shift in the Czech Republic as the number of foreigners rises.
Of these foreigners, one-third had permanent residence in the Czech Republic. The remaining had temporary residence permits, with only 0.2% being asylum seekers. The number of foreigners with temporary residency increased dramatically by 132% in 2022 in connection with the Russian war against Ukraine.
Unsurprisingly, most foreigners were from Ukraine, with over 636,000 individuals. Most were war refugees residing in the Czech Republic on temporary residence permits. This surge in migration from Ukraine significantly contributed to the increase in the foreign population in 2022, with a total of 455,000 new foreign residents.
Among the Ukrainian foreigners, women were in the majority. They included a fifth of children and only a minimal number of retirement-age individuals. Roughly a fifth of the foreigners residing in the Czech Republic were citizens of EU countries.
Apart from Ukrainians, other significant foreign groups included citizens of Slovakia (117,000), Vietnam (66,000), and Russia (43,000). Most foreigners reside in Prague (343,000) and the Central Bohemian Region (159,000).