At the end of the first quarter of 2017, the Czech Republic had a total of 10.579 million inhabitants, slightly more than at the beginning of the year (by 247). Positive net migration (5.3 thousand) compensated the natural decrease (by 5.0 thousand). The number of deaths in the first quarter (31.8 thousand) was the highest in the last two decades. The number of live births (26.8 thousand) slightly declined in the year-on-year comparison. The number of marriages was this year also lower.

According to the preliminary statistical balance the population of the Czech Republic increased by 0.2 thousand to 10 579.1 thousand from 1 January to 31 March 2017. The natural change reduced the number of population markedly when the number of deaths was by 5.0 thousand higher than the number of live births. However, the prevalence of deaths over the births in the first quarter is common due to different seasonality of these processes. The balance of net migration amounted to 5.3 thousand persons.

In the first quarter of 2017, the preliminary number of live births was 26.8 thousand, which was by 0.6 thousand less than in the same period a year before. There were fewer first born children so as the children of the second order and of the third or higher order. The decrease was noticed in all marital status of mothers. A total of 13.5 thousand children were born to married women and 11.9 thousand to single women. The other 1,400 children were born to divorced or widowed women. The share of live births outside marriage increased to 49.5%, while it was 48.6% in the whole year 2016. The most children were born to women aged 31; in the case of first born children the women aged 28 years prevailed.

A total of 31.8 thousand persons died during the first three months of 2017, based on the preliminary data. It was by 3.6 thousand more than in the first quarter of 2016, and the highest figure for this part of a year since 1994. The number of deaths was particularly high in January (12.3 thousand), at the time of the flu epidemic. A total of 15.7 thousand men and 16.2 thousand women died in the first quarter. The average age of man at death was 73.3 years and 80.2 years for woman. There were a total of 67 deaths of children aged less than one year. The infant mortality rate decreased from 2.8 to 2.5‰ in comparison with the whole year 2016.

According to the preliminary data a total of 3.3 thousand of marriages were entered into in the first quarter of 2017; it was by 0.2 thousand fewer than in the same period in the previous year. In a half of them (1.7 thousand) both groom and bride entered into the first marriage. The average age of single groom was 33.1 years and the average age of single bride was 30.0 years.

According to the available data so far a total of 8.7 thousand abortions were registered in the first quarter of 2017. The number of spontaneous abortions was 3.4 thousand; the number of induced abortions was 4.9 thousand and the number of termination of ectopic pregnancy was 0.3 thousand. Most abortions were performed to single women (4.7 thousand), followed by married women (3.0 thousand). The single women constituted the majority group in both spontaneous and induced abortions. Induced abortions were mostly performed to childless women among single women, and in the case of married women there were the majority of induced abortion concerned women with two live born children.

The balance of net migration was positive at the level of 5.3 thousand in January–March period of 2017, as in the first quarter in 2016. A total of 10.9 thousand people immigrated from abroad to the Czech Republic and 5.7 thousand people emigrated from the Czech Republic. The highest positive migration balance was registered with citizens of Ukraine (1.3 thousand) and Slovakia (1.1 thousand) in the first quarter in 2017. The third highest positive net migration belonged to citizens of Romania (0.3 thousand). The migration balance of Czechs was negative (-0.4 thousand).

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Notes:
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 also citizens of the European Union with temporary stay on the territory of the Czech Republic, and Third countries citizens with long-term residence permit. The data also contain information on events (marriages, births and deaths) of permanent residents of the Czech Republic that occurred abroad.
All data for 2017 are preliminary.
Data on divorces in the first quarter of 2017 are not included due to significant incompleteness data set provided by the Ministry of Justice of the CR.
Data of abortions in the first quarter of 2017 are not comparable to the 2016 period due to failure to provide data on all abortion performed by some medical facilities to the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the CR.

Responsible manager: Josef Škrabal, director of Population Statistics Department,
tel. +420 274 052 189, e-mail: josef.skrabal@czso.cz
Contact person: Michaela Němečková, Demographic Statistics Unit,
tel. +420 274 052 184, e-mail: michaela.nemeckova@czso.cz
Data source: Demographic statistics – results of processing statistical reports of Obyv series
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) and Alien Information System (Directorate of Alien Police)
Abortions – Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the CR
End of data collection: 22 May 2017
Related publication: 130062-17 Population of the Czech Republic – 1^st quarter of 2017
https://www.czso.cz/current-product/41180
Next News Release: 11 September 2017