The population of the Czech Republic increased by around 16,700 to 10.533 million people last year, primarily due to migration. According to the Czech Statistical Office (CSU), 57,000 people moved to the country, while 20,000 left. The country had fewer than 100,000 births last year, the lowest number since 2004, with 99,834 babies. There was a decline of 12,000 births compared to the previous year, while 120,200 people died, 19,700 fewer than last year.
According to the CSU, the decrease in births is partly due to changes in the age composition of women of reproductive age. Michaela Němečková from CSU’s Department of Demographic Statistics stated that “in 2022, the average number of children born to one woman also decreased, from 1.83 to 1.66 year-on-year. A similar fertility rate was also recorded six years ago.” The number of abortions decreased slightly year-on-year to 27,600, but there were 16,400 induced pregnancy terminations, up by 900 from the previous year.
The CSU had previously reported that mortality decreased in all age groups over 35 last year while life expectancy increased again. Life expectancy for men increased by two years to 76.1 years, while it increased by approximately 1.5 years to 82 years for women. After shortening during the coronavirus epidemic, it returned to its 2018 length.
The Středočeský Region remained the most populous region in the Czech Republic at the end of last year, with nearly 1.4 million people residing there, followed by Prague with 1.29 million inhabitants. However, according to some estimates, 200,000 to 300,000 people without registered permanent residents live in the capital, with tens of thousands commuting there for work or school.
The Jihomoravský and Moravskoslezský Regions each have more than one million inhabitants. The CSU warns that the population balance does not include people who have received temporary protection due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the Foreigners Information System, 432,000 people held this residence permit at the end of last year.