The population of the Czech Republic increased by 39.7 thousand to 10.650 million. Both international migration and natural change contributed to the growth. There was a year-on-year stagnation of the number of births, and the increase in the number of deaths. The number of marriages was the highest in the last 11 years.

According to the preliminary statistical balance the population of the Czech Republic rose by 39.7 thousand to almost 10.650 million. The major part of the increase was caused by international migration, which balance amounted to 38.6 thousand persons; the balance of natural change added another 1.1 thousand inhabitants. The number of live births exceeded the number of deaths for the third year in a row; however this excess was shrinking gradually.

A total of 114.0 thousand children were born alive during year 2018 according to the preliminary data. It was value by 0.4 thousand lower than in 2017, but higher than in years 2011–2016. There was the year-on-year rise in the number of live births to married women (by 0.4 thousand to 58.7 thousand). In contrast the number of live births outside marriage decreased (by 0.4 thousand to 55.4 thousand). The share of live births outside marriage reached 48.5% in 2018, by 0.5 percentage point less than it was the year before. This decrease was registered for the first time since 1988 and it was mainly caused by lower share of the live births to unmarried women among first order births. The most children were born to women aged 30.

The preliminary data showed a total of 112.9 thousand deaths in 2018, by 1.5 thousand more than in 2017. A total of 57.3 thousand deceased were men and 55.7 thousand were women. The highest y-o-y increase was registered among inhabitants aged 70–79 (by 6%), which was related to the higher number of people in this age category. A total of 292 children died during their first year of life. The infant mortality rate decreased slightly year-on-year from 2.7‰ to 2.6‰.

According to the preliminary data a total of 54.5 thousand marriages were entered into, by 1.9 thousand more than in 2017. Higher number of marriages was registered in 2007 for the last time. The highest number of fiancées chose June (10.7 thousand) and August (10.6 thousand) for their wedding ceremony. It was the first marriage (for both groom and bride) for 36.6 thousand wedding couples; in 7.4 thousand cases both fiancées were divorced before entering into the new marriage. Year-on-year increase was recorded for marriages among both single and divorced fiancées, when for divorced couples the increase was more significant (3% versus 5%). The most common age was 29 years for grooms and 27 years for brides.

According to the available data so far, the Czech courts issued 24.1 thousand decisions about divorce in 2018, by 1.6 thousand lower than in 2017. Four fifths of men and women divorced for the first time. A total of 10.0 thousand divorces legally ended marriage without minors, further 14.1 thousand divorced marriages were with minors. The average age of a divorced man was 44.8 years and 41.1 years of a divorced woman.

The number of registered abortions in 2018 was according to the preliminary results lower by 2.4 thousand as against a year before. The total amount was 32.6 thousand and it consisted of 56% legally induced abortions (18.2 thousand) and 40% spontaneous abortions (13.1 thousand). Another 4% of abortions related to the ending of ectopic pregnancies (1.3 thousand). The most legally induced abortions were performed to single women without children. Abortion to women aged 31 years was the most frequently registered.

The balance of net migration amounted to 38.6 thousand in 2018 and was the highest in the last 10 years. Record figure (58.1 thousand) was registered also in case of the number of people immigrated to the Czech Republic from abroad; there were by 12.2 thousand more immigrants than in the previous year. The number of those emigrated from the Czech Republic abroad was 19.5 thousand, by 1.8 thousand more than in 2017. Nationals of Ukraine caused a half of the rise in the number of immigrants and emigrants, and they reached also the highest positive net migration (13.2 thousand). The second highest was the migration balance of Slovak nationals (5.2 thousand), followed by the Romanian (2.0 thousand) and Bulgarian nationals (1.9 thousand).

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Notes:
All data refer to the resident population of the Czech Republic, irrespective of citizenship. Since 2001 (in relation to the 2001 Population and Housing Census) the data include also foreigners with visa for stay over 90 days (pursuant to the Act No 326/1999 Sb) and foreigners with asylum granted (pursuant to the Act No 325/1999 Sb). Since 1 May 2004, in accordance with the Act No 326/1999 Sb, as amended, data apply also to EU nationals with temporary residence on the territory of the Czech Republic and third- country nationals with long-term residence permit. The data contain also information on events (marriages, births, and deaths) of Czech citizens with the permanent residence in the Czech Republic that occurred abroad.
All data for 2018 are preliminary.
Data on divorces and abortions for year 2018 are not fully comparable with data for the year 2017 due to incompleteness of data provided by the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic and the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic.

Responsible manager: Mgr. Robert Šanda, director of Population Statistics Department,
tel. +420 274 052 160, e-mail: robert.sanda@czso.cz
Contact person: Mgr. 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 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: 11 March 2019
Related publication: 130062-18 Population of the Czech Republic – year 2018
https://www.czso.cz/current-product/41180
Next News Release: 12 June 2019