Population change - 1st - 4th quarter of 2011

Sharp decline in births

The number of births exceeded the number of deaths by 1.8 thousand persons, which was by 8.5 thousand less than last year (effect of significant decrease of newborns). The number of immigrants exceeded the number of emigrants by 16.9 thousand persons. The number of marriages and divorces was lower than in 2010. The total population of the Czech Republic at the end of 2011 was 10 504,2 thousand persons. The number of inhabitants is the result of a balance according to the results of census on March 26, 2011.

In 2011, 108.7 thousand children were live-born in the Czech Republic, which was by 8.5 thousand down on a year before. The number of births has declined for the third year after the natality peak in 2008. However, decline in the year 2011 was significantly higher than in the two preceding years in total. The number of children in the first, second and third or higher order was lower than in the previous year. The number of first-born children was 51.0 thousand (47% of live-born children), second born children was 42.2 thousand (39%) and 15.5 thousand (14%) was born in third or higher order. Preliminary data indicate rather significant decline in total fertility rate. This indicator, which represents the average number of live-born children to a woman, was at the level of 1.49 in 2009-2010. The total fertility rate for the 2011 was 1.42. By one tenth of the year, to 29.7 year, the average age of mothers at childbirth has increased. The highest fertility was at the age 28-31, women at the age of 27-29 dominated among primiparae. The share of live births outside marriage has been continuously increasing. For the first time it reached above 40% in 2010 (40.3%) and one year later reached 41.8%. A total of 45.6 thousand children were born to unmarried women in 2011. A total of 3.0 thousand children with other than Czech citizenship, i.e. both of parents had other than Czech citizenship, were born in last year.

During the year 2011 there were 106.8 thousand of deaths, which was the same as in 2010. The male life expectancy at birth increased by three tenths of the year to 74.7 years, female life expectancy climbed up by two tenths of the year to 80.8 years. The infant mortality rate did not change, per 10 thousand live births a total of 27 infants died before reaching the age of 1.

A total of 45.1 thousand marriages were entered into during the year 2011, by 1.6 thousand down on a previous year. The decrease of nuptiality rate was long-term and moreover, large generations of 1970s have crossed the age of high nuptiality and entering into marriage is postponed to higher ages. According to preliminary data only 53% of single men and 60% of single women will enter into marriage before reaching the age of 50, while in 2010 it was 55, respectively 62%. To 32.4 years for men and 29.6 years for women increased the mean age at first marriage. Compared to 2010 were higher by 0.2 years. The highest numbers of marriages were in June (8.1 thousand), July (7.3 thousand) and September (6.8 thousand). The number of marriages entered into in November was higher than in previous years thanks to the date of November 11, 2011. In spite of the fact that it was a Friday 980 pairs entered into marriage in this day. A total of 1 722 men and 2 384 women with Czech citizenship got married to foreign citizen: men mostly with Slovaks, Ukrainians and Russians, women with Slovaks, Germans and British.

A total of 28.1 thousand of marriages got divorced in 2011, which was by 2.7 thousand less than in 2010. The share of marriages ended in divorce decreased from record level 50% in 2010 to 46.2% in 2011. The average duration of marriage was 12.9 years. A total of 19% of marriages divorced in 2011 took less then 5 years, 39% took less then 10 years and 15% of marriages divorced in last year took more than 25 years. A total of 56.3% of divorcees had minor children. During 2011 a total of 23.7 thousand children went through the loss of one parent by divorce.

A total of 38.9 thousand abortions were registered in 2011, by 409 down on a year before. The number of spontaneous abortions and extrauterine pregnancies decreased while the number of induced abortions increased by 57, totally 24.0 i.e. 61.9% of all abortions. The share of pregnancies ended by induced abortion was 16.5%, by spontaneous abortion 9.2%. The level of total and induced abortion rate was same as in 2010; 0.51 abortion, 0.32 induced abortion per woman.

According to the data from the Information System of Inhabitants Records of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic the international migration added up a total of 16.9 thousand inhabitants during the year 2011, which was by 1.2 thousand more than in 2010. Compared to 2010 the number of immigrants and emigrants went down. A total of 22.6 thousand immigrants came to the Czech Republic. The most frequent were immigrants from Slovakia, Russia and Ukraine. A total of 5.7 thousand people moved out of the Czech Republic. Net migration made 90% of total increase in 2011.


Responsible manager: Josef Škrabal, director of Population Statistics Department, tel. +420 274 052 189, e-mail: josef.skrabal@czso.cz
Contact person: Eva Kačerová, Demographic Statistics Unit, tel. +420 274 052 184, e-mail: eva.kacerova@czso.cz
Data source: Demographic statistics – results of processing statistical reports of Obyv series (notifications of the entry into marriage, of birth, of death)
Divorces –Information system of the Ministry of the Justice of the CR
Migration data – Information System of Inhabitants Records (Ministry of the Interior of the CR)
Abortions – Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the CR
End of data collection: February 29, 2012
Related publication: e-4001-11 Population of the Czech Republic in 1 ^st to 4 ^th quarter 2011 (preliminary results)
/csu/czso/stav-a-pohyb-obyvatelstva-v-cr-1-az-4-ctvrtleti-2011-rqb4dmz4rk
Next News Release: June 12, 2012
All data refer to the resident population of the Czech Republic, irrespective of citizenship. Since 2001, the figures include (in accordance with the Population and Housing Census 2001) foreigners with long-term stay (i.e., the stay based on visa over 90 days, as stipulated by Act No. 326/1999 Coll.) and foreigners with granted asylum status (in compliance with Act No. 325/1999 Coll.). Since 1st May 2004, in accordance with amendment No. 326/1999 Coll., the figures include citizens of the European Union with temporary stay on the territory of the Czech Republic, and citizens of other countries with long-term stay. The data also contain information on events (marriages, births and deaths) of permanent residents of the Czech Republic that occurred abroad.
All data for 2011 are preliminary.

This press release was not edited for language.

Published: 13.03.2012
The data are valid as of the release date of the publication.