Demographics of the Czech Republic
Encyclopedia
This article is about the demographic
features of the population
of the Czech Republic
, including population density
, ethnicity
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The following statistics on age structure and sex ration are from the CIA World Factbook.
0–14 years:
14.2% (male 758,305; female 718,618)
15–64 years:
71.2% (male 3,726,148; female 3,665,225)
65 years and over:
14.6% (male 598,481; female 914,353)
2006
0–14 years:
14.4% (male 760,065; female 719,449)
15–64 years:
71.2% (male 3,683,215; female 3,642,023)
65 years and over:
14.4% (male 582,904; female 899,533)
2005
0–14 years:
14.7% (male 773,028; female 731,833)
15–64 years:
71.1% (male 3,651,018; female 3,627,006)
65 years and over:
14.2% (male 565,374; female 892,879)
2004
0–14 years:
14.9% (male 784,186; female 742,760)
15–64 years:
71.0% (male 3,638,782; female 3,620,219)
65 years and over:
14.0% (male 557,945; female 876,685)
2003
0–14 years:
15.2% (male 797,847; female 756,628)
15–64 years:
70.8% (male 3,625,092; female 3,608,696)
65 years and over:
13.9% (male 551,801; female 871,391)
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15–64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.65 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
s include Germans
, Roma, Poles
and Hungarians. Historical minorities like those of Germans and Poles are declining due to assimilation
. The Roma community is growing, while there is also a growing Vietnamese
community. Other ethnic communities like Greeks
, Turks
, Italians and Yugoslavs
are found in its capital city, Prague
. Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia
, Slovaks
staying in the Czech Republic have comprised roughly 3% of the population.
There are different groups of national and ethnic minorities in the Czech Republic. The so called old minorities usually live mostly in particular areas (e.g. Poles
in the Zaolzie
region, Germans
in the Hultschiner region
) while the new minorities are scattered among the majority population (generally in the larger towns). While some of the minorities have the whole social structure of the Czech society (Poles
, Slovaks
, Greeks
), other represent only some of the social groups (i.e. Russian
newcomers of middle class, or Ukrainians
and Romanis who generally represent the underclass).
The legal position of the minorities is defined foremost in the Act No. 273/2001 Coll. (The Rights of the Minorities Act) which implements the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms
, Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
and Recommendation of the Council of Europe
No. 1201. There is a number of other enactments which to lesser extent deal with the minorities.
Special situation is in the case of Moravians
and Silesians
, who are frequently allocated within the group of Czechs when it comes to the statistical data.
Roma
, Croatians, Hungarians, Germans
, Greeks
, Poles
, Romanis, Russians
, Rusyns
, Serbians
, Slovaks
and Ukrainians
. Belorusian and Vietnamese
minority may obtain this status in near future.
Among the privileges of the officially recognized minorities are the right to have signs within the municipalities also in their language, right to have the information about elections in their language (both if the minority comprises at least 10% of the municipality's population), right to education in their language, cultural rights including state support for preservation of traditions.
Citizens belonging to the officially recognized minorities enjoy the right to use their language in communication with authorities and in front of the courts of law. The article 25 of the Czech Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms
ensures right of the national and ethnic minorities for education and communication with authorities in their own language. Act No. 500/2004 Coll. (The Administrative Rule) in its paragraph 16 (4) (Procedural Language) ensures, that a citizen of the Czech republic, who belongs to a national or an ethnic minority, which traditionally and on long-term basis lives within the territory of the Czech Republic, have right to address an administrative agency and proceed before it in the language of the minority. In case that the administrative agency doesn't have an employee with knowledge of the language, the agency is bound to obtain a translator at the agency's own expense. According to Act No. 273/2001 (About The Rights of Members of Minorities) paragraph 9 (The right to use language of a national minority in dealing with authorities and in front of the courts of law) the same applies for the members of national minorities also in front of the courts of law.
. Their importance rose especially during the time of the Czech National Revival
of the 19th century and related ideas of Pan-Slavism
. Among the pioneers of the Slavic studies (including the Bulgarian studies) were the Czech and Slovak personalities such as Josef Dobrovský
, František Ladislav Čelakovský, Jan Kollár
, Karel Jaromír Erben
and foremost Pavel Josef Šafařík, who had close ties with Bulgarian students in Prague. His interest in Bulgarian history
, language
and nation
helped to strengthen Bulgarian self-awareness.
In 1862 the Bulgarian and Czech students in Prague established a secret society Pobratim in order to support Bulgarian independence movement against the Ottoman rule
and to support the unification of the Slavic nations. In 1869 the Bulharská matice - The Postojanstvo Society was established in Tábor
aiming for the same purpose. This was followed by the so called Czech invasion into Bulgaria, of which Šafářík's grandson Konstantin Josef Jireček
was the main personality. He took part in establishing the Bulgarian state services and became Bulgarian Minister of Education in the 1880s. Countless other Czechs took part in build-up of modern education and judiciary, cultural institutions as well as railways in Bulgaria. Many Czech teachers, artists and qualified craftsmen took part in effort to build-up Bulgarian state. At the same time Czech industrialists established new undertakings in Bulgaria, foremost sugar refineries and breweries. Meanwhile many Bulgarians immigrated to the Czech lands; mostly they were unskilled workers and young students wishing to obtain education at the Czech Universities.
In 1890 the first official Czecho-Bulgarian association was established (Bulharská Sednjanka), while in the independent Czechoslovakia
local associations grew in the large towns. Large numbers of Bulgarians escaped to Czechoslovakia after Bulgaria (at the time ally of Nazi Germany) was occupied by the Red Army at the end of the second world war. Thousands more benefited from joint program of governments of Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria in years 1946-8, in which whole families immigrated to the areas from which the Germans were expelled
. Subsequently many of these immigrants moved into larger cities, where they obtained jobs usually in industry.
During the socialist era the Bulgarian clubs were united under umbrella organisation Bulgarian Cultural Organisation. The most friendly attitude of Czechs towards Bulgarians suffered hard blow as the Bulgarian army took part in the 1968 Invasion of Czechoslovakia. In 1990s the economic immigration of Bulgarians to the Czech Republic started.
4363 citizens claimed to have Bulgarian nationality in the 2001 census. They mostly live in the large cities and towns, such as Prague
, Brno
and Ostrava
, Karlovy Vary
, Kladno
, Ústí nad Labem
, Děčín
, Havířov
etc. Nowadays the newcomers from Bulgaria aim especially for these areas, in which they can hold on the established community. Many of these economical immigrants have dual citizenship of both the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. However most of the recent immigrants still have only Bulgarian citizenship.
The Bulgarian Cultural Organisation publishes magazine Roden Glas, while a folklore organisation Kytka promotes traditional Bulgarian dances. Among other organisations are Pirin, Zaedno, Vazraždane or Hyshove.
As an officially recognized minority the Bulgarian citizens of the Czech Republic enjoy right to use their language in communications with authorities and in front of the courts of law. They also enjoy a number of other rights connected to the status of recognized minority, i.e. the right for education in the own language (the first Bulgarian school in the nowadays Czech Republic was established in 1946 in Prague).
The German minority of the Czech Republic, historically the largest minority of the country, was almost entirely removed when 3 million were forcibly expelled
in 1945–6. The constitution guarantees rights for minority languages, however there are 13 municipalities with German minority constituting 10% of population, which qualifies for such provisions. There is no bilingual education system in Western and Northern Bohemia, where the German minority is mostly concentrated. However, this is in large part due to the absence of German-speaking youth, a heritage of the post-war policy of the Communist government.
According to the 2001 census there remain 13 municipalities and settlements in the Czech Republic with more than 10% Germans.
Many representatives of expellees' organizations support the erection of bilingual signs in all formerly German speaking territory as a visible sign of the bilingual linguistic and cultural heritage
of the region, yet their efforts are not supported by some of the current inhabitants, as the vast majority of the current population is not of German descent.
The German-Czech Declaration of 21 January 1997 covered the two most critical issues — the role of the Sudeten Germans
in the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1938 and their expulsion after WWII
.
(including Macedonians
or "Slavonic Greeks"). Large numbers of Greeks arrived in Czechoslovakia
when the Greek Civil War
broke out. The first transports of Greek children arrived in 1948 and 1949. Later, more transports, also including adults, arrived. They were partly leftists, communists and guerillas with their relatives, hence the willingness of Czechoslovak government to allow the immigration. This was viewed rather as a temporary solution. After the defeat of DSE and other left-wing guerillas, the Greeks stayed in Czechoslovakia. In total more than 12,000 Greeks immigrated to Czechoslovakia between 1948 and 1950. Today, there are about 7000 Greeks in the country (3219 according to 2001 census data), mostly in the 3 biggest towns – Prague
, Brno
, Ostrava
– and also in Bohumín
, Havířov
, Jeseník
, Karviná
, Krnov
, Šumperk
, Třinec
, Vrbno pod Pradědem
and Žamberk
(apart from the last one these towns are in Silesia
).
, historically the plurality, today constituting about 10% of the Karviná
and Frýdek-Místek
districts population. Poles have the right to use their language in official dealings, the public media (the Czech TV and the Czech Radio) regularly broadcast in Polish, and there are many Polish primary and secondary schools in the area. The Polish minority has been decreasing substantially since World War II
as education in Polish was difficult to obtain, while Czech authorities did not permit bilingual signs to maintain Polish awareness among the population.
The erection of bilingual sign
s has technically been permitted since 2001, if a minority constitutes 10% of the population of a municipality. The requirement that a petition be signed by the members of minority was cancelled, thus simplifying whole process. Still, only a couple of villages with large Polish minorities have bilingual signs (Vendryně/Wędrynia
for instance).
. The Roma there now are 80% post-war immigrants from Slovakia or Hungary, or the descendants thereof. In total, the Roma in the CR now number around 200,000. There is Romani press in the CR, written in both Czech and Romani
, but Romani radio is broadcast in Czech and there is no Romani television. Romani is also absent from legislative, judiciary, and other political texts but it has recently entered some university and elementary school courses. Life expectancy
, literacy
, median wage, school enrolment, and other socio-economic markers remain low while, according to Říčan (1998), Roma compose the majority of prison and habitual offender populations despite accounting for only a fraction of a percent of Czech population.
one. During the communist era the governments of Czechoslovakia and Vietnam
had a deal concerning the education of Vietnamese people in Czechoslovakia. Vietnamese people came to Czechoslovakia for the first time in 1956 and then the number of new migrants grew until the fall of communism. First generation Vietnamese work mostly as small-scale businessmen in markets. Still, many Vietnamese are without Czech citizenship. One of the towns with the largest Vietnamese communities is Cheb
.
, four Moravian dialects, Cieszyn Silesian dialect
and Opava
Silesian dialect as well as Polish language
in Cieszyn Silesia
and various Sudeten German dialects that are currently in extreme danger of extinction are spoken in the Czech Republic.
For other languages spoken in the Czech Republic, see the part about minorities.
Most of the Czech population claim to be atheist, agnostic, non-believer or no-organized believer (59%). The largest denomination is Roman Catholicism
, estimated at 27.4% of the population, Protestant
1.2%, Hussite
s 1.0%, Jehovah's Witnesses
0.2%, Eastern Orthodox 0.2%, other religions 2.8%, unknown 8.8% (March 2001).
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll
2005, 19% of Czech citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 50% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 30% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force", the lowest rate of EU countries after Estonia
with 16%.
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
features of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, including population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
, ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Population
With an estimated population of 10,542,080 at 30 June 2011, compared to 9.3 million at the beginning of the twentieth century, the population growth of the Czech Republic was limited and characterized by low fertility rates and loss of population in and around WW I and WW II. Population loss during WW I was approximately 350,000. At the beginning of WW II population the Czech Republic reached its maximum (11.2 million). Due to the expulsion of the German residents after WW II the Czech Republic lost about 3 million inhabitants and in 1947 the population was only 8.8 million. Population growth resumed until 1994 when the population was 10.3 million. From 1994-2005 natural growth was negative and the population decreased to 10.2 million. Since 2006, natural growth has been positive, but the most important factor for the recent population of the Czech Republic has been immigration, approximately 300,000 during the last decade.Population census
| Census date | population |
|---|---|
| 31 Dec 1857 | 7 016 531 |
| 31 Dec 1869 | 7 617 230 |
| 31 Dec 1880 | 8 222 013 |
| 31 Dec 1890 | 8 665 421 |
| 31 Dec 1900 | 9 372 214 |
| 31 Dec 1910 | 10 078 637 |
| 15 Feb 1921 | 10 009 587 |
| 1 Dec 1930 | 10 674 386 |
| 1 Mar 1950 | 8 896 133 |
| 1 Mar 1961 | 9 571 531 |
| 1 Dec 1970 | 9 807 697 |
| 1 Nov 1980 | 10 291 927 |
| 3 Mar 1991 | 10 302 215 |
| 1 Mar 2001 | 10 230 060 |
The following statistics on age structure and sex ration are from the CIA World Factbook.
Age structure
20070–14 years:
14.2% (male 758,305; female 718,618)
15–64 years:
71.2% (male 3,726,148; female 3,665,225)
65 years and over:
14.6% (male 598,481; female 914,353)
2006
0–14 years:
14.4% (male 760,065; female 719,449)
15–64 years:
71.2% (male 3,683,215; female 3,642,023)
65 years and over:
14.4% (male 582,904; female 899,533)
2005
0–14 years:
14.7% (male 773,028; female 731,833)
15–64 years:
71.1% (male 3,651,018; female 3,627,006)
65 years and over:
14.2% (male 565,374; female 892,879)
2004
0–14 years:
14.9% (male 784,186; female 742,760)
15–64 years:
71.0% (male 3,638,782; female 3,620,219)
65 years and over:
14.0% (male 557,945; female 876,685)
2003
0–14 years:
15.2% (male 797,847; female 756,628)
15–64 years:
70.8% (male 3,625,092; female 3,608,696)
65 years and over:
13.9% (male 551,801; female 871,391)
Sex ratio
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15–64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.65 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Births and deaths
| Average population (x 1000) | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 9 334 | 330 662 | 227 920 | 102 742 | 35.4 | 24.4 | 11.0 |
| 1901 | 9 405 | 325 514 | 221 052 | 104 462 | 34.6 | 23.5 | 11.1 |
| 1902 | 9 475 | 333 619 | 222 457 | 111 162 | 35.2 | 23.5 | 11.7 |
| 1903 | 9 545 | 318 275 | 218 448 | 99 827 | 33.3 | 22.9 | 10.5 |
| 1904 | 9 615 | 319 433 | 222 276 | 97 157 | 33.2 | 23.1 | 10.1 |
| 1905 | 9 685 | 300 414 | 232 999 | 67 415 | 31.0 | 24.1 | 7.0 |
| 1906 | 9 754 | 313 449 | 203 182 | 110 267 | 32.1 | 20.8 | 11.3 |
| 1907 | 9 825 | 306 356 | 210 721 | 95 635 | 31.2 | 21.4 | 9.7 |
| 1908 | 9 895 | 308 504 | 210 101 | 98 403 | 31.2 | 21.2 | 9.9 |
| 1909 | 9 965 | 305 426 | 210 047 | 95 379 | 30.6 | 21.1 | 9.6 |
| 1910 | 10 036 | 295 617 | 196 728 | 98 889 | 29.5 | 19.6 | 9.9 |
| 1911 | 10 099 | 289 058 | 206 266 | 82 792 | 28.6 | 20.4 | 8.2 |
| 1912 | 10 157 | 280 368 | 203 324 | 77 044 | 27.6 | 20.0 | 7.6 |
| 1913 | 10 221 | 275 060 | 190 475 | 84 585 | 26.9 | 18.6 | 8.3 |
| 1914 | 10 283 | 269 142 | 188 838 | 80 304 | 26.2 | 18.4 | 7.8 |
| 1915 | 10 286 | 197 542 | 201 280 | -3 738 | 19.2 | 19.6 | -0.4 |
| 1916 | 10 222 | 140 211 | 186 381 | -46 170 | 13.7 | 18.2 | -4.5 |
| 1917 | 10 128 | 126 916 | 188 649 | -61 733 | 12.5 | 18.6 | -6.1 |
| 1918 | 10 004 | 120 579 | 236 035 | -115 456 | 12.1 | 23.6 | -11.5 |
| 1919 | 9 922 | 189 675 | 177 428 | 12 247 | 19.1 | 17.9 | 1.2 |
| 1920 | 9 978 | 244 668 | 176 562 | 68 106 | 24.5 | 17.7 | 6.8 |
| 1921 | 10 002 | 257 281 | 161 321 | 95 960 | 25.7 | 16.1 | 9.6 |
| 1922 | 10 113 | 248 728 | 163 366 | 85 362 | 24.6 | 16.2 | 8.4 |
| 1923 | 10 198 | 241 230 | 142 335 | 98 895 | 23.7 | 14.0 | 9.7 |
| 1924 | 10 278 | 228 894 | 146 098 | 82 796 | 22.3 | 14.2 | 8.1 |
| 1925 | 10 370 | 225 555 | 146 450 | 79 105 | 21.8 | 14.1 | 7.6 |
| 1926 | 10 443 | 219 802 | 148 298 | 71 504 | 21.0 | 14.2 | 6.8 |
| 1927 | 10 496 | 208 711 | 155 479 | 53 232 | 19.9 | 14.8 | 5.1 |
| 1928 | 10 549 | 208 942 | 147 064 | 61 878 | 19.8 | 13.9 | 5.9 |
| 1929 | 10 598 | 203 064 | 155 493 | 47 571 | 19.2 | 14.7 | 4.5 |
| 1930 | 10 648 | 207 224 | 142 159 | 65 065 | 19.5 | 13.4 | 6.1 |
| 1931 | 10 702 | 196 214 | 144 534 | 51 680 | 18.3 | 13.5 | 4.8 |
| 1932 | 10 750 | 190 397 | 142 997 | 47 400 | 17.7 | 13.3 | 4.4 |
| 1933 | 10 791 | 176 201 | 140 906 | 35 295 | 16.3 | 13.1 | 3.3 |
| 1934 | 10 826 | 171 042 | 135 914 | 35 128 | 15.8 | 12.6 | 3.2 |
| 1935 | 10 853 | 161 748 | 140 878 | 20 870 | 14.9 | 13.0 | 1.9 |
| 1936 | 10 873 | 157 992 | 139 093 | 18 899 | 14.5 | 12.8 | 1.7 |
| 1937 | 10 889 | 155 996 | 139 558 | 16 438 | 14.3 | 12.8 | 1.5 |
| 1938 | 10 877 | 163 525 | 143 115 | 20 410 | 15.0 | 13.2 | 1.9 |
| 1939 | 11 106 | 192 344 | 146 976 | 45 368 | 17.3 | 13.2 | 4.1 |
| 1940 | 11 160 | 218 043 | 153 499 | 64 544 | 19.5 | 13.8 | 5.8 |
| 1941 | 11 129 | 208 913 | 152 048 | 56 865 | 18.8 | 13.7 | 5.1 |
| 1942 | 11 054 | 199 259 | 153 096 | 46 163 | 18.0 | 13.8 | 4.2 |
| 1943 | 11 035 | 225 379 | 153 349 | 72 030 | 20.4 | 13.9 | 6.5 |
| 1944 | 11 109 | 230 183 | 161 457 | 68 726 | 20.7 | 14.5 | 6.2 |
| 1945 | 10 693 | 194 182 | 184 944 | 9 238 | 18.2 | 17.3 | 0.9 |
| 1946 | 9 523 | 210 454 | 134 568 | 75 886 | 22.1 | 14.1 | 8.0 |
| 1947 | 8 765 | 206 745 | 105 277 | 101 468 | 23.6 | 12.0 | 11.6 |
| 1948 | 8 893 | 197 837 | 101 501 | 96 336 | 22.2 | 11.4 | 10.8 |
| 1949 | 8 893 | 185 484 | 104 632 | 80 852 | 20.9 | 11.8 | 9.1 |
| 1950 | 8 930 | 188 341 | 103 203 | 85 138 | 21.1 | 11.6 | 9.5 |
| 1951 | 9 000 | 185 570 | 102 658 | 82 912 | 20.6 | 11.4 | 9.2 |
| 1952 | 9 075 | 180 143 | 97 726 | 82 417 | 19.9 | 10.8 | 9.1 |
| 1953 | 9 140 | 172 547 | 98 837 | 73 710 | 18.9 | 10.8 | 8.1 |
| 1954 | 9 200 | 168 402 | 99 636 | 68 766 | 18.3 | 10.8 | 7.5 |
| 1955 | 9 270 | 165 874 | 93 300 | 72 574 | 17.9 | 10.1 | 7.8 |
| 1956 | 9 330 | 162 509 | 93 526 | 68 983 | 17.4 | 10.0 | 7.4 |
| 1957 | 9 390 | 155 429 | 98 687 | 56 742 | 16.6 | 10.5 | 6.0 |
| 1958 | 9 435 | 141 762 | 93 697 | 48 065 | 15.0 | 9.9 | 5.1 |
| 1959 | 9 465 | 128 982 | 97 159 | 31 823 | 13.6 | 10.3 | 3.4 |
| 1960 | 9 490 | 128 879 | 93 863 | 35 016 | 13.6 | 9.9 | 3.7 |
| 1961 | 9 587 | 131 019 | 94 973 | 36 046 | 13.7 | 9.9 | 3.8 |
| 1962 | 9 625 | 133 557 | 104 318 | 29 239 | 13.9 | 10.8 | 3.0 |
| 1963 | 9 671 | 148 840 | 100 129 | 48 711 | 15.4 | 10.4 | 5.0 |
| 1964 | 9 728 | 154 420 | 101 984 | 52 436 | 15.9 | 10.5 | 5.4 |
| 1965 | 9 779 | 147 438 | 105 108 | 42 330 | 15.1 | 10.7 | 4.3 |
| 1966 | 9 821 | 141 162 | 105 784 | 35 378 | 14.4 | 10.8 | 3.6 |
| 1967 | 9 853 | 138 448 | 108 967 | 29 481 | 14.1 | 11.1 | 3.0 |
| 1968 | 9 876 | 137 437 | 115 195 | 22 242 | 13.9 | 11.7 | 2.3 |
| 1969 | 9 897 | 143 165 | 120 653 | 22 512 | 14.5 | 12.2 | 2.3 |
| 1970 | 9 800 | 147 865 | 123 327 | 24 538 | 15.1 | 12.6 | 2.5 |
| 1971 | 9 827 | 154 180 | 122 375 | 31 805 | 15.7 | 12.5 | 3.2 |
| 1972 | 9 868 | 163 661 | 119 205 | 44 456 | 16.6 | 12.1 | 4.5 |
| 1973 | 9 922 | 181 750 | 124 437 | 57 313 | 18.3 | 12.5 | 5.8 |
| 1974 | 9 988 | 194 215 | 126 809 | 67 406 | 19.4 | 12.7 | 6.7 |
| 1975 | 10 059 | 191 776 | 124 314 | 67 462 | 19.1 | 12.4 | 6.7 |
| 1976 | 10 126 | 187 378 | 125 232 | 62 146 | 18.5 | 12.4 | 6.1 |
| 1977 | 10 187 | 181 763 | 126 214 | 55 549 | 17.8 | 12.4 | 5.5 |
| 1978 | 10 242 | 178 901 | 127 136 | 51 765 | 17.5 | 12.4 | 5.1 |
| 1979 | 10 292 | 172 112 | 127 949 | 44 163 | 16.7 | 12.4 | 4.3 |
| 1980 | 10 283 | 153 801 | 135 537 | 18 264 | 15.0 | 13.2 | 1.8 |
| 1981 | 10 301 | 144 438 | 130 407 | 14 031 | 14.0 | 12.7 | 1.4 |
| 1982 | 10 315 | 141 738 | 130 765 | 10 973 | 13.7 | 12.7 | 1.1 |
| 1983 | 10 324 | 137 431 | 134 474 | 2 957 | 13.3 | 13.0 | 0.3 |
| 1984 | 10 330 | 136 941 | 132 188 | 4 753 | 13.3 | 12.8 | 0.5 |
| 1985 | 10 337 | 135 881 | 131 641 | 4 240 | 13.1 | 12.7 | 0.4 |
| 1986 | 10 341 | 133 356 | 132 585 | 771 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 0.1 |
| 1987 | 10 349 | 130 921 | 127 244 | 3 677 | 12.7 | 12.3 | 0.4 |
| 1988 | 10 356 | 132 667 | 125 694 | 6 973 | 12.8 | 12.1 | 0.7 |
| 1989 | 10 362 | 128 356 | 127 747 | 609 | 12.4 | 12.3 | 0.1 |
| 1990 | 10 363 | 130 564 | 129 166 | 1 398 | 12.6 | 12.5 | 0.1 |
| 1991 | 10 309 | 129 354 | 124 290 | 5 064 | 12.5 | 12.1 | 0.5 |
| 1992 | 10 318 | 121 705 | 120 337 | 1 368 | 11.8 | 11.7 | 0.1 |
| 1993 | 10 331 | 121 025 | 118 185 | 2 840 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 0.3 |
| 1994 | 10 336 | 106 579 | 117 373 | -10 794 | 10.3 | 11.4 | -1.0 |
| 1995 | 10 331 | 96 097 | 117 913 | -21 816 | 9.3 | 11.4 | -2.1 |
| 1996 | 10 315 | 90 446 | 112 782 | -22 336 | 8.8 | 10.9 | -2.2 |
| 1997 | 10 304 | 90 657 | 112 744 | -22 087 | 8.8 | 10.9 | -2.1 |
| 1998 | 10 295 | 90 535 | 109 527 | -18 992 | 8.8 | 10.6 | -1.8 |
| 1999 | 10 283 | 89 471 | 109 768 | -20 297 | 8.7 | 10.7 | -2.0 |
| 2000 | 10 273 | 90 910 | 109 001 | -18 091 | 8.8 | 10.6 | -1.8 |
| 2001 | 10 224 | 90 715 | 107 755 | -17 040 | 8.9 | 10.5 | -1.7 |
| 2002 | 10 201 | 92 786 | 108 243 | -15 457 | 9.1 | 10.6 | -1.5 |
| 2003 | 10 207 | 93 685 | 111 288 | -17 603 | 9.2 | 10.9 | -1.7 |
| 2004 | 10 216 | 97 664 | 107 177 | -9 513 | 9.6 | 10.5 | -0.9 |
| 2005 | 10 236 | 102 211 | 107 938 | -5 727 | 10.0 | 10.5 | -0.6 |
| 2006 | 10 269 | 105 831 | 104 441 | 1 390 | 10.3 | 10.2 | 0.1 |
| 2007 | 10 334 | 114 632 | 104 636 | 9 996 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 1.0 |
| 2008 | 10 425 | 119 570 | 104 948 | 14 622 | 11.5 | 10.1 | 1.4 |
| 2009 | 10 488 | 118 348 | 107 421 | 10 927 | 11.3 | 10.2 | 1.0 |
| 2010 | 10 517 | 117 153 | 106 844 | 10 309 | 11.1 | 10.2 | 0.9 |
Ethnic groups
The majority of the 10.5 million inhabitants of the Czech Republic are ethnically and linguistically Czech (95%). Other ethnic groupEthnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s include Germans
Ethnic German
Ethnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
, Roma, Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
and Hungarians. Historical minorities like those of Germans and Poles are declining due to assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
. The Roma community is growing, while there is also a growing Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
community. Other ethnic communities like Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, Italians and Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
are found in its capital city, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
, Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
staying in the Czech Republic have comprised roughly 3% of the population.
There are different groups of national and ethnic minorities in the Czech Republic. The so called old minorities usually live mostly in particular areas (e.g. Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
in the Zaolzie
Zaolzie
Zaolzie is the Polish name for an area now in the Czech Republic which was disputed between interwar Poland and Czechoslovakia. The name means "lands beyond the Olza River"; it is also called Śląsk zaolziański, meaning "trans-Olza Silesia". Equivalent terms in other languages include Zaolší in...
region, Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
in the Hultschiner region
Hlucín Region
Hlučín Area is a part of Czech Silesia in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic, named after the largest town Hlučín. Its area is , in 2001 was inhabited by 73,914 citizens, thus the population density was 233 per km².-History:...
) while the new minorities are scattered among the majority population (generally in the larger towns). While some of the minorities have the whole social structure of the Czech society (Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
, Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
), other represent only some of the social groups (i.e. Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
newcomers of middle class, or Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
and Romanis who generally represent the underclass).
1880-1910
| Language | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech | 62.5% | 62.4% | 62.4% | 62.9% |
| German | 35.8% | 35.6% | 35.1% | 34.6% |
| Polish | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 1.6% |
| Other | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| Total population | 8,222,013 | 8,665,421 | 9,372,140 | 10,078,637 |
after WW I
| Ethnic group |
census 1921 1 | census 1930 | census 1950 | census 1961 | census 1970 | census 1980 | census 1991 | census 2001 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Czechs | 6,758,983 | 67.5 | 7,304,588 | 68.3 | 8,343,558 | 93.9 | 9,023,501 | 94.2 | 9,270,617 | 94.4 | 9,733,925 | 94.6 | 8,363,768 | 81.2 | 9,249,777 | 90.5 |
| Moravians | 1,362,313 | 13.2 | 380,474 | 3.7 | ||||||||||||
| Silesians Silesians Silesians , are the inhabitants of Silesia in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. A small diaspora community also exists in Karnes County, Texas in the USA.... |
44,446 | 0.4 | 10,878 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||
| Slovaks Slovaks The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia... |
15,732 | 0.2 | 44,451 | 0.4 | 258,025 | 2.9 | 275,997 | 2.9 | 320,998 | 3.3 | 359,370 | 3.5 | 314,877 | 3.1 | 193,190 | 1.9 |
| Poles Poles thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe... |
103,521 | 1.0 | 92,689 | 0.9 | 70,816 | 0.8 | 66,540 | 0.7 | 64,074 | 0.7 | 66,123 | 0.6 | 59,383 | 0.6 | 51,968 | 0.5 |
| Germans Germans The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages.... |
3,061,369 | 30.6 | 3,149,820 | 29.5 | 159,938 | 1.8 | 134,143 | 1.4 | 80,903 | 0.8 | 58,211 | 0.6 | 48,556 | 0.5 | 39,106 | 0.4 |
| Ukrainians Ukrainians Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens... |
13,343 | 0.1 | 22,657 | 0.2 | 19,384 | 0.2 | 19,549 | 0.2 | 9,794 | 0.1 | 10,271 | 0.1 | 8,220 | 0.1 | 22,112 | 0.2 |
| Ruthenians Ruthenians The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians... |
1,926 | 0.0 | 1,106 | 0.0 | ||||||||||||
| Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
6,619 | 0.1 | 5,051 | 0.0 | 5,062 | 0.0 | 12,369 | 0.1 | ||||||||
| Vietnamese Vietnamese people The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam... |
421 | 0.0 | 17,462 | 0.2 | ||||||||||||
| Hungarians | 7,049 | 0.1 | 11,427 | 0.1 | 13,201 | 0.1 | 15,152 | 0.2 | 18,472 | 0.2 | 19,676 | 0.2 | 19,932 | 0.2 | 14,672 | 0.1 |
| Roma | 227 | 0.0 | 19,770 | 0.2 | 19,392 | 0.2 | 32,903 | 0.3 | 11,746 | 0.1 | ||||||
| Jews Jews The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation... |
35,699 | 0.4 | 37,093 | 0.4 | 218 | 0.0 | ||||||||||
| Yugoslavs Yugoslavs Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora... |
4,749 | 0.0 | 3,957 | 0.0 | 3,386 | 0.0 | ||||||||||
| Romanians Romanians The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania.... |
966 | 0.0 | 3,205 | 0.0 | 1,034 | 0.0 | 1,238 | 0.0 | ||||||||
| Others/undeclared | 10,038 | 0.1 | 5,719 | 0.1 | 11,441 | 0.1 | 10,095 | 0.1 | 36,220 | 0.4 | 39,300 | 0.4 | 39,129 | 0.4 | 220,660 | 2.2 |
| Total | 10,005,734 | 10,674,386 | 8,896,133 | 9,571,531 | 9,807,697 | 10,291,927 | 10,302,215 | 10,230,060 | ||||||||
| 1 On the territory of the census date. | ||||||||||||||||
The legal position of the minorities is defined foremost in the Act No. 273/2001 Coll. (The Rights of the Minorities Act) which implements the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms
Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms
The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms is a document enacted in 1991 by the Czechoslovak Federal Republic, and continued as part of the great constitutional systems of both the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic...
, Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was signed on February 1995 by 22 member States of the Council of Europe ....
and Recommendation of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
No. 1201. There is a number of other enactments which to lesser extent deal with the minorities.
Special situation is in the case of Moravians
Moravians (ethnic group)
Moravians are the modern West Slavic inhabitants of the historical land of Moravia, the easternmost part of the Czech Republic, which includes the Moravian Slovakia. They speak the two main groups of Moravian dialects , the transitional Bohemian-Moravian dialect subgroup and standard Czech...
and Silesians
Silesians
Silesians , are the inhabitants of Silesia in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. A small diaspora community also exists in Karnes County, Texas in the USA....
, who are frequently allocated within the group of Czechs when it comes to the statistical data.
Roma
Officially recognized minorities
Minorities, which "traditionally and on long term basis live within the territorry of the Czech Republic" enjoy some privileges. As of 2010 there are 12 such officially recognized minorities, which are (alphabetically): BulgariansBulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
, Croatians, Hungarians, Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, Romanis, Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, Rusyns
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
, Serbians
Serbians
Serbians may refer to people who are identified with the country of Serbia, or people of the Serb ethnic group.However it could also be used as the translation of Serbian word "Србијанци" , especially when distinction is made between the two...
, Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
and Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
. Belorusian and Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
minority may obtain this status in near future.
Among the privileges of the officially recognized minorities are the right to have signs within the municipalities also in their language, right to have the information about elections in their language (both if the minority comprises at least 10% of the municipality's population), right to education in their language, cultural rights including state support for preservation of traditions.
Citizens belonging to the officially recognized minorities enjoy the right to use their language in communication with authorities and in front of the courts of law. The article 25 of the Czech Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms
Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms
The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms is a document enacted in 1991 by the Czechoslovak Federal Republic, and continued as part of the great constitutional systems of both the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic...
ensures right of the national and ethnic minorities for education and communication with authorities in their own language. Act No. 500/2004 Coll. (The Administrative Rule) in its paragraph 16 (4) (Procedural Language) ensures, that a citizen of the Czech republic, who belongs to a national or an ethnic minority, which traditionally and on long-term basis lives within the territory of the Czech Republic, have right to address an administrative agency and proceed before it in the language of the minority. In case that the administrative agency doesn't have an employee with knowledge of the language, the agency is bound to obtain a translator at the agency's own expense. According to Act No. 273/2001 (About The Rights of Members of Minorities) paragraph 9 (The right to use language of a national minority in dealing with authorities and in front of the courts of law) the same applies for the members of national minorities also in front of the courts of law.
Bulgarians
The Czech-Bulgarian relations date as far back as to the times of the Great MoraviaGreat Moravia
Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...
. Their importance rose especially during the time of the Czech National Revival
Czech National Revival
Czech National Revival was a cultural movement, which took part in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th century. The purpose of this movement was to revive Czech language, culture and national identity...
of the 19th century and related ideas of Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism was a movement in the mid-19th century aimed at unity of all the Slavic peoples. The main focus was in the Balkans where the South Slavs had been ruled for centuries by other empires, Byzantine Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice...
. Among the pioneers of the Slavic studies (including the Bulgarian studies) were the Czech and Slovak personalities such as Josef Dobrovský
Josef Dobrovský
Josef Dobrovský was a Bohemian philologist and historian, one of the most important figures of the Czech national revival.- Life & Work :...
, František Ladislav Čelakovský, Jan Kollár
Ján Kollár
Ján Kollár was a Slovak writer , archaeologist, scientist, politician, and main ideologist of Pan-Slavism.- Life :...
, Karel Jaromír Erben
Karel Jaromír Erben
Karel Jaromír Erben was a Czech historian, poet and writer of the mid-19th century, best known for his collection Kytice , which contains poems based on traditional and folkloric themes....
and foremost Pavel Josef Šafařík, who had close ties with Bulgarian students in Prague. His interest in Bulgarian history
History of Bulgaria
The history of Bulgaria spans from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria to its formation as a nation-state and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin. The first traces of human presence on what is today Bulgaria date from 44,000 BC...
, language
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
and nation
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
helped to strengthen Bulgarian self-awareness.
In 1862 the Bulgarian and Czech students in Prague established a secret society Pobratim in order to support Bulgarian independence movement against the Ottoman rule
History of early Ottoman Bulgaria
The history of Ottoman Bulgaria spans nearly 500 years, from the conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire by the Ottoman Empire in 1396, to its liberation in 1878. Bulgarian territories were administrated as the Rumelia Eyalet. The Ottoman rule was a period marked by oppression and misgovernment and...
and to support the unification of the Slavic nations. In 1869 the Bulharská matice - The Postojanstvo Society was established in Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
aiming for the same purpose. This was followed by the so called Czech invasion into Bulgaria, of which Šafářík's grandson Konstantin Josef Jireček
Konstantin Josef Jirecek
Konstantin Josef Jireček , son of Josef Jireček, was a Czech historian, diplomat and slavist.He entered the Bulgarian service in 1879, and in 1881 became minister of education at Sofia...
was the main personality. He took part in establishing the Bulgarian state services and became Bulgarian Minister of Education in the 1880s. Countless other Czechs took part in build-up of modern education and judiciary, cultural institutions as well as railways in Bulgaria. Many Czech teachers, artists and qualified craftsmen took part in effort to build-up Bulgarian state. At the same time Czech industrialists established new undertakings in Bulgaria, foremost sugar refineries and breweries. Meanwhile many Bulgarians immigrated to the Czech lands; mostly they were unskilled workers and young students wishing to obtain education at the Czech Universities.
In 1890 the first official Czecho-Bulgarian association was established (Bulharská Sednjanka), while in the independent Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
local associations grew in the large towns. Large numbers of Bulgarians escaped to Czechoslovakia after Bulgaria (at the time ally of Nazi Germany) was occupied by the Red Army at the end of the second world war. Thousands more benefited from joint program of governments of Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria in years 1946-8, in which whole families immigrated to the areas from which the Germans were expelled
Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia
The expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II was part of a series of evacuations and expulsions of Germans from Central and Eastern Europe during and after World War II....
. Subsequently many of these immigrants moved into larger cities, where they obtained jobs usually in industry.
During the socialist era the Bulgarian clubs were united under umbrella organisation Bulgarian Cultural Organisation. The most friendly attitude of Czechs towards Bulgarians suffered hard blow as the Bulgarian army took part in the 1968 Invasion of Czechoslovakia. In 1990s the economic immigration of Bulgarians to the Czech Republic started.
4363 citizens claimed to have Bulgarian nationality in the 2001 census. They mostly live in the large cities and towns, such as Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
, Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
, Kladno
Kladno
Kladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 25 km northwest of Prague. Kladno is the largest city of the region and holds a population together with its adjacent suburban areas of more than 110,000 people...
, Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Ústí nad Labem Region. The city is the 7th-most populous in the country.Ústí is situated in a mountainous district at the confluence of the Bílina and the Elbe Rivers, and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction...
, Děčín
Decín
Děčín is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region in the north of the Czech Republic. It is the largest town and administrative seat of the Děčín District.-Geography:...
, Havířov
Havírov
Havířov is a city in the Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has 82,768 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the region. It is the largest town in the country without a university...
etc. Nowadays the newcomers from Bulgaria aim especially for these areas, in which they can hold on the established community. Many of these economical immigrants have dual citizenship of both the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. However most of the recent immigrants still have only Bulgarian citizenship.
The Bulgarian Cultural Organisation publishes magazine Roden Glas, while a folklore organisation Kytka promotes traditional Bulgarian dances. Among other organisations are Pirin, Zaedno, Vazraždane or Hyshove.
As an officially recognized minority the Bulgarian citizens of the Czech Republic enjoy right to use their language in communications with authorities and in front of the courts of law. They also enjoy a number of other rights connected to the status of recognized minority, i.e. the right for education in the own language (the first Bulgarian school in the nowadays Czech Republic was established in 1946 in Prague).
Germans
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
in 1945–6. The constitution guarantees rights for minority languages, however there are 13 municipalities with German minority constituting 10% of population, which qualifies for such provisions. There is no bilingual education system in Western and Northern Bohemia, where the German minority is mostly concentrated. However, this is in large part due to the absence of German-speaking youth, a heritage of the post-war policy of the Communist government.
According to the 2001 census there remain 13 municipalities and settlements in the Czech Republic with more than 10% Germans.
Many representatives of expellees' organizations support the erection of bilingual signs in all formerly German speaking territory as a visible sign of the bilingual linguistic and cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
of the region, yet their efforts are not supported by some of the current inhabitants, as the vast majority of the current population is not of German descent.
The German-Czech Declaration of 21 January 1997 covered the two most critical issues — the role of the Sudeten Germans
Sudeten Germans
- Importance of Sudeten Germans :Czechoslovakia was inhabited by over 3 million ethnic Germans, comprising about 23 percent of the population of the republic and about 29.5% of Bohemia and Moravia....
in the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1938 and their expulsion after WWII
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
.
Greeks
Another influential minority are GreeksGreeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
(including Macedonians
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
or "Slavonic Greeks"). Large numbers of Greeks arrived in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
when the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
broke out. The first transports of Greek children arrived in 1948 and 1949. Later, more transports, also including adults, arrived. They were partly leftists, communists and guerillas with their relatives, hence the willingness of Czechoslovak government to allow the immigration. This was viewed rather as a temporary solution. After the defeat of DSE and other left-wing guerillas, the Greeks stayed in Czechoslovakia. In total more than 12,000 Greeks immigrated to Czechoslovakia between 1948 and 1950. Today, there are about 7000 Greeks in the country (3219 according to 2001 census data), mostly in the 3 biggest towns – Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
– and also in Bohumín
Bohumín
Bohumín is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
, Havířov
Havírov
Havířov is a city in the Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has 82,768 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the region. It is the largest town in the country without a university...
, Jeseník
Jeseník
Jeseník , Frývaldov until 1948 is a city and a district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.- Districts :* Bukovice * Dětřichov * Jeseník * Lázně Jeseník - History :...
, Karviná
Karviná
Karviná is a city in Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic, on the Olza River. It is administrative center of Karviná District. Karviná lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia and is one of the most important coal mining centers in the Czech Republic. Together with neighboring...
, Krnov
Krnov
Krnov is an Upper Silesian city in the northeastern Czech Republic, in the Moravian-Silesian Region, the District of Bruntál, on the Opava River, near the Polish border....
, Šumperk
Šumperk
Šumperk is a town and district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It is called "The Gate to Jeseníky mountains."- History :Šumperk was founded by German colonists in 1269. The German name Schönberg means "beautiful hill", and the name Šumperk is a Czech garbling of the original German...
, Třinec
Trinec
Třinec is a town in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town has 37,405 inhabitants as of 2009, in 2001 17.7% of the population were Poles...
, Vrbno pod Pradědem
Vrbno pod Pradedem
Vrbno pod Pradědem is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. It is located on the Opava River and has 6,072 inhabitants.According to the Austrian census of 1910 the town had 3,614 inhabitants, 3,519 of whom had permanent residence there. Census asked people for their native...
and Žamberk
Žamberk
Žamberk is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,100 inhabitants.-Museums and Historic Sites:* Municipal Museum – Československé armády 472* House of Prokop Diviš – Helvíkovice 326* Litice - ancient castle...
(apart from the last one these towns are in Silesia
Czech Silesia
Czech Silesia is an unofficial name of one of the three Czech lands and a section of the Silesian historical region. It is located in the north-east of the Czech Republic, predominantly in the Moravian-Silesian Region, with a section in the northern Olomouc Region...
).
Poles
The most concentrated linguistic minority in the Czech Republic are ethnic PolesPoles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, historically the plurality, today constituting about 10% of the Karviná
Karviná District
Karviná District is a district within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is the city of Karviná. It was created by 1960 reform of administrative divisions in the area of former Fryštát District...
and Frýdek-Místek
Frýdek-Místek District
Frýdek-Místek District is a district within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is the city of Frýdek-Místek. It was created by 1960 reform of administrative divisions...
districts population. Poles have the right to use their language in official dealings, the public media (the Czech TV and the Czech Radio) regularly broadcast in Polish, and there are many Polish primary and secondary schools in the area. The Polish minority has been decreasing substantially since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as education in Polish was difficult to obtain, while Czech authorities did not permit bilingual signs to maintain Polish awareness among the population.
The erection of bilingual sign
Bilingual sign
A bilingual sign is the representation on a panel of texts in more than one language...
s has technically been permitted since 2001, if a minority constitutes 10% of the population of a municipality. The requirement that a petition be signed by the members of minority was cancelled, thus simplifying whole process. Still, only a couple of villages with large Polish minorities have bilingual signs (Vendryně/Wędrynia
Vendryne
is a village in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic, on the banks of the Olza River. It has a population of 3,842 , 35.3% of the population are Poles. The village lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
for instance).
Romanis
Another minority is the Roma, who nonetheless have very little influence on Czech policy. Around 90% of the Roma that lived in the Czech Republic prior to World War II were exterminated by the Nazi PorajmosPorajmos
The Porajmos was the attempt made by Nazi Germany, the Independent State of Croatia, Horthy's Hungary and their allies to exterminate the Romani people of Europe during World War II...
. The Roma there now are 80% post-war immigrants from Slovakia or Hungary, or the descendants thereof. In total, the Roma in the CR now number around 200,000. There is Romani press in the CR, written in both Czech and Romani
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
, but Romani radio is broadcast in Czech and there is no Romani television. Romani is also absent from legislative, judiciary, and other political texts but it has recently entered some university and elementary school courses. Life expectancy
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
, literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
, median wage, school enrolment, and other socio-economic markers remain low while, according to Říčan (1998), Roma compose the majority of prison and habitual offender populations despite accounting for only a fraction of a percent of Czech population.
Vietnamese
There are also Asian minorities in the Czech Republic. The largest is the VietnameseVietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
one. During the communist era the governments of Czechoslovakia and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
had a deal concerning the education of Vietnamese people in Czechoslovakia. Vietnamese people came to Czechoslovakia for the first time in 1956 and then the number of new migrants grew until the fall of communism. First generation Vietnamese work mostly as small-scale businessmen in markets. Still, many Vietnamese are without Czech citizenship. One of the towns with the largest Vietnamese communities is Cheb
Cheb
Cheb is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with about 33,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Ohře , at the foot of one of the spurs of the Smrčiny and near the border with Germany...
.
Languages
CzechCzech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
, four Moravian dialects, Cieszyn Silesian dialect
Cieszyn Silesian dialect
Cieszyn Silesian dialect is one of the Silesian dialects. It has its roots mainly in Polish and has also strong Czech and German influences and even Vlachs' and Slovak. It is spoken in Cieszyn Silesia, a region on both sides of the Polish-Czech border. It lacks some official codification and...
and Opava
Opava
Opava is a city in the northern Czech Republic on the river Opava, located to the north-west of Ostrava. The historical capital of Czech Silesia, Opava is now in the Moravian-Silesian Region and has a population of 59,843 as of January 1, 2005....
Silesian dialect as well as Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
in Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
and various Sudeten German dialects that are currently in extreme danger of extinction are spoken in the Czech Republic.
For other languages spoken in the Czech Republic, see the part about minorities.
Religion
| 1991 | 2001 | change |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | % | number | % | ||
| Roman Catholic Church | 4,021,385 | 39.0 | 2,740,780 | 26.8 | −31.8% |
| Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren | 203,996 | 2.0 | 117,212 | 1.1 | −42.5% |
| Czechoslovak Hussite Church | 178,036 | 1.7 | 99,103 | 1.0 | −44.3% |
| no religion | 4,112,864 | 39.9 | 6,039,991 | 59.0 | +46.9% |
| not identified | 1,665,617 | 16.2 | 901,981 | 8.8 | −45.8% |
| total population | 10,302,215 | 100.0 | 10,230,060 | 100.0 | −0.7% |
Most of the Czech population claim to be atheist, agnostic, non-believer or no-organized believer (59%). The largest denomination is Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, estimated at 27.4% of the population, Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
1.2%, Hussite
Hussite
The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...
s 1.0%, Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
0.2%, Eastern Orthodox 0.2%, other religions 2.8%, unknown 8.8% (March 2001).
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll
Eurobarometer
Eurobarometer is a series of surveys regularly performed on behalf of the European Commission since 1973. It produces reports of public opinion of certain issues relating to the European Union across the member states...
2005, 19% of Czech citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 50% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 30% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force", the lowest rate of EU countries after Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
with 16%.