The population of the Czech Republic: a brief overview. Czech Republic The main occupations of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic

Ethnic Czechs who speak the Czech language, belonging to the West Slavic group, make up the absolute majority of the country's population - about 95% of the total. Other permanent residents in the Czech Republic include Poles, Germans, Hungarians, Jews, Ukrainians and Roma. After the division of Czechoslovakia, about 2% of the population are Slovaks.

Reached the post-war maximum number in 1991 and amounted to 10 million 302 thousand people. Thereafter, there was a slow decline until 2003, and the only period when negative population growth was recorded was 1994-2005. Since 2006, there has been an increase in the population, including due to an increase in the number of migrants from the countries of the former USSR, Poland, the countries of the former Yugoslavia and Asia. According to the latest census, the population of the Czech Republic is 10 million 505 thousand people.

Population density

The Czech Republic averages 133 people per 1 sq. km. km., which makes the Czech Republic a fairly densely populated country. The population is distributed fairly evenly throughout the country. Dense population is typical for large urban areas such as Prague, Pilsen, Brno and Ostrava. The maximum density is fixed at the level of 250 persons/sq.km. The least populated areas (level 37 inhabitants/ sq. km.) are Prachatice and Český Krumlov. In total, there are 5,500 settlements.

The Czech Republic is one of the most urbanized countries in the Czech Republic mainly lives in cities and large towns (about 70%), while the percentage of the rural population is constantly decreasing and at the moment more than 50% already lives in settlements with more than 20 thousand people. The capital of the country - Prague - is the only city that can be called a metropolis. 1 million 243 thousand people live here. In the Czech Republic, only five cities have a population of over 100 thousand people - Prague, Olomouc, Brno, Pilsen and Ostrava. There are 17 cities with populations over 50,000, and 44 cities and towns with populations over 20,000.

Demographics and fertility

The majority of the Czech population (about 72%) is in the productive age from 15 to 65, while the number of citizens under 15 and over 65 is almost the same - 14.4% and 14.5%, respectively. The number of men in the productive age slightly exceeds the number of women, but in the post-productive age there are noticeably more women (almost two women per man). The average age in the Czech Republic is 39.3 years - 41.1 years for women and 37.5 years for men. The population of the Czech Republic as of 2006 had an average life expectancy of 72.9 years for men and 79.7 years for women.

Despite the fact that the share of married adults is quite large, the number of singles is also relatively high: one in eight women and one in five men in the Czech Republic live out of wedlock. The average age of marriage is approaching European statistics and is 28 for men and 26 for women. The appearance most often occurs in the first year of marriage.

However, for the full reproduction of the population, the level of female fertility is still insufficient (only 1.2 children per woman of reproductive age). The Czech Republic is among the countries with the lowest infant mortality rate, which is less than 4 per 1000 births. There is a constant decrease in the number of abortions and induced abortions in the country.

Employment

More than half of the total population is economically active. We especially note the high employment of women in the Czech Republic in comparison with other countries. The Czech Republic is almost 48% female. Most of them work in trade, catering, healthcare, education and other service industries. The high level of female employment is due to the economic need to maintain the standard of family life, which is noticeably lower than in other countries of the European Union.

Education

The level of education in the Czech Republic meets the highest European standards. Every tenth citizen studies in a higher educational institution or has a completed higher education, and every third economically active resident has a complete secondary education. The high qualification of workers (almost all graduated from vocational schools) is one of the notable economic advantages of the Czech Republic. The lag behind European countries in terms of the number of people with higher and secondary education is still present, but the gap is rapidly shrinking.

Religion

The majority of the population of the Czech Republic considers themselves to be atheists (almost 59%) or those who find it difficult to answer about religion - about 9%. Catholics predominate among Czech believers - 27% of the population, Czech Evangelicals and Hussites - 1%. Other religions (Christian churches and sects, Buddhism, Islam, etc.) are distributed exclusively among ethnic groups of immigrants.

The basis of the population of the Czech Republic (95%) are ethnic Czechs and speakers of the Czech language, which belongs to the group of West Slavic languages. Foreigners make up about 5% of the country's population. Among immigrants, Ukrainians are the largest diaspora in the Czech Republic, about 105,000. In second place are Slovaks (about 100,000), many of whom, after the separation in 1993, remained in the Czech Republic and make up approximately 2% of the population. On the third - citizens of Vietnam (about 66,000). They are followed by citizens of Russia (about 35,000) and Poland (about 20,000). Other ethnic groups include Germans, Gypsies, Hungarians and Jews.

According to the language, the Czechs belong to the West Slavic peoples. The language of central Bohemia was put at the basis of the early works of Czech writing of the 13th-14th centuries. But as the influence in the country of the Catholic Church, German feudal lords and the patriciate of cities increased, it began to be subjected to harassment in favor of the German and Latin languages. But during the period of the Hussite wars, literacy and the literary Czech language became widespread among the masses. Then came the two-century decline of Czech culture under the rule of the Habsburgs, who pursued a policy of Germanizing the subject Slavic peoples (by the middle of the 19th century, 15% of the population spoke Czech, and the possibility of taking one of the Slavic languages, in particular the Russian literary language, was considered as a literary language). The Czech language began to revive only at the end of the 18th century, its basis was the literary language of the 16th century, which explains the presence of many archaisms in the modern Czech language, in contrast to the living spoken language. The spoken language is divided into several groups of dialects: Czech, Middle Moravian and East Moravian.

The Czech Republic is one of the densely populated states. The average population density is 130 people. per 1 sq. km. The distribution of the population on the territory of the republic is relatively even. The most densely populated are the areas of large urban agglomerations - Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen (up to 250 people per 1 sq. km). The Chesky Krumlov and Prachatice districts have the minimum population density (about 37 people per 1 sq. km). Currently, there are about 6260 settlements in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic belongs to highly urbanized countries: about 71% of the population lives in cities and towns, while more than 50% live in cities with a population of over 20 thousand inhabitants, the share of the rural population continues to decline. The only metropolis in the Czech Republic is Prague, which has about 1300 thousand permanent residents (Prague's population has been slowly decreasing since 1985).

The total population of the Czech Republic, having reached a post-war maximum in 1991 - 10,302 thousand people - then slowly decreased until 2003, when it amounted to just over 10,200 thousand people, but since then there has been an increase to 10,500 thousand people. - mainly due to an increase in the flow of migrants (primarily from Ukraine, Slovakia, Vietnam, Russia, Poland and the countries of the former Yugoslavia). Natural population growth was negative in the period 1994-2005, since 2006 there has been some positive growth due to an increase in the birth rate and a decrease in mortality. In recent years, the Czech Republic has become one of the countries with the lowest level of infant mortality (less than 4 per 1,000 births). Since 1990, there has been a steady decline in the number of abortions and abortions in the Czech Republic.

Most of the population - 71.2% - is in the productive age (from 15 to 65 years), 14.4% of Czech citizens are under 15 years old, and 14.5% are over 65 years old. In the productive age, the number of men slightly exceeds the number of women, but in the post-productive age, women noticeably prevail (for two women there is one man). The average age of the population of the Czech Republic is 39.3 years (women - 41.1 years, men - 37.5 years). The average life expectancy is about 76 years for men and 82 years for women.

The majority of the adult population is married, although the proportion of singles is relatively high, with one in five men and one in eight women unmarried. At present, men marry at 28 and women at 26, which is close to the European trend (for comparison: in 1993, these figures were 23 and 19 years, respectively). The first child appears in the family most often within 6 months after the wedding. Czech families are characterized by a high divorce rate. Currently, almost every second marriage ends in divorce, as a result of which almost 80% of all children under the age of 15 live in single-parent families. The average family size has decreased over the past 30 years from 3.5 to 2.2 people.

The economically active population is 51.5% of the total. A specific feature of the Czech Republic among other countries is the high level of employment of women, who make up about 48% of the total economically active population. Most women work in the service, healthcare, education, trade and catering sectors. Most women work out of economic necessity in order to maintain the family's standard of living. The unemployment rate is about 7%, which is more than in 1990-1997. (3-5%), but noticeably less than in 1999-2004. (up to 10.5%).

A significant part of Czechs lives outside the Czech Republic - in Austria, Germany, USA, Canada, Australia and other countries. This is the result of economic migration in search of work, which took on noticeable proportions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and political emigration after the political coup of 1948 and the occupation of 1968.

Illiteracy in the Czech Republic is practically absent (occasionally found among older Roma). A high level of literacy was typical of Czechs even during the First Republic (1918-1938): at that time, about 95% of all inhabitants had a basic education. In recent years, the level of education has increased markedly. Every third economically active resident of the Czech Republic has completed secondary education (corresponding to the level of 12-13 years of education), and every tenth citizen of the Czech Republic has or is receiving higher education. A typical worker has at least a secondary vocational training. The high qualification of Czech workers is one of the main advantages of the Czech economy. So far, the country lags behind the most developed European countries in terms of the proportion of the population with completed secondary and higher education.

Believers: Catholics - 27%, Czech Evangelical Brothers - 1%, Czech Hussites - 1%, other religions (Christian minority churches and sects, Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.) - about 3%. The majority of the population classifies themselves as atheists (59%), and almost 9% find it difficult to answer the question about their religion.

Foreigners who legally reside in the Czech Republic:

Armenia– about 2000 people.
Azerbaijan– about 450 people.
Belarus- about 4100 people.
Georgia– about 750 people.
Kazakhstan- about 3800 people.
Kyrgyzstan– about 600 people.
Moldova- about 11,000 people.
Russia- about 35,000 people.
Ukraine- about 105,000 people.
Uzbekistan– about 2000 people.

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Today's post will be about the national composition of the Czech Republic.

The population of the Czech Republic is 10.5 million people. 9.5 million are citizens of the Czech Republic (94.9%), while 500 thousand foreigners (5.1%) live in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic is a country where you rarely meet Arabs, blacks, of which there are a lot in European countries. For example, in major cities in Holland, France, Spain or Italy. I remember I had a slight culture shock when only Muslim women in headscarves worked at the cash desks of the entire supermarket in Amsterdam. Or when in Paris on the Place de la République at a rally against Sarkozy's policies there were only Arabs! In Austria, the number of Arabs has also increased in recent years, many of whom live on welfare.

But back to the Czech Republic. Below you will see a list of the most popular nations living in the Czech Republic:

• Czechs;
• Moravians;
• Slovaks;
• Ukrainians;
• Poles;
• Vietnamese;
• Germans;
• Russians;
• Silesians;
• Jews;
• Hungarians;
• Romanians.

Over the past decade, the number of Germans, Slovaks and Poles living in the Czech Republic has decreased significantly. But the number of Ukrainians, Russians and Vietnamese has increased.

The reader may wonder how it is that one of the largest minorities in the country is the Vietnamese. During communism, the governments of Czechoslovakia and Vietnam made a deal regarding the education of the Vietnamese people in Czechoslovakia, and since then they have settled here and do small business. In addition, after the unification of Germany, the Vietnamese had to leave the country, and they settled in the Czech Republic. Unlike the same Romanians, the Vietnamese open grocery stores in Prague and the Czech Republic, trade in markets, open fast food restaurants with Chinese food, do manicures, work 12 hours a day. One of the cities of the Czech Republic with the largest Vietnamese diaspora is the city of Cheb.

The Vietnamese have joined the Czech society well, many know the language and culture of the country very well, Vietnamese children study well at school due to perseverance, and then go to universities. The Vietnamese now work in all areas: from artists to doctors.

As I said, the Vietnamese do a good job: almost all the small shops in the area are owned by them, they are open from 8 am to 10 pm 7 days a week, while Czech shops are open 6 hours a day from Monday to Friday. Also, the Vietnamese do not like the speed of the work of the Czechs and the attitude towards them, so they open banks in the Czech Republic, their own exchange offices, and publishing companies.

During the time that I live in the Czech Republic, I have never seen a Vietnamese who would beg, unlike Romanians or Czechs who love to beg in the center of Prague, especially in tourist places and at the main station.

Europeans in the Czech Republic

What attracts the Germans, the Dutch, the British in the Czech Republic? Most Europeans like the low taxes, low cost of living in the Czech Republic. Some open their own business, some come to work. Most of all, Slovaks live in the country, for whom the Czech Republic is a place where you can get a good education and find a job, while prices in the Czech Republic are lower than in Slovakia. Also, Slovaks do not have a language barrier, because. They are 90% of the Czech language.

Compared to Germany, Great Britain and Holland, the Czech Republic has an excellent climate, there are no such terrible winds, winters are milder, and air humidity is not so high.

Russian speakers in the Czech Republic

As for us Russian speakers, the majority of emigrants go to the Czech Republic for a better quality of life. Russians open businesses here, invest in real estate, hotels and production. Children go to get education in Czech universities or schools. Due to the terrible economic situation that has prevailed in Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukrainians are forced to go to work in Europe. They are ready to work 12 hours a day without days off, the main thing is to earn money for the whole family.

So every nation somehow merges into Czech society, and this is very good. Most foreigners here do business, get an education or work. In the Czech Republic, there is no such thing as in France, where emigrants come who are not going to work or study, but want to sit on benefits and engage in small bad deeds.

Czechs are a people belonging to the Western Slavs, constituting the vast majority of the population of the Czech Republic. There are about 12 million of them in the world, and only 7 million in the country. The population is replenished mainly due to visitors, especially in the post-Soviet period. So, if only 7 thousand people are born a year, and almost the same number of migrants from the post-Soviet space and far abroad (especially from Ukraine) arrive in the country.

Brief description of the people of the country

Represented mainly by Czechs. This is the self-name of the people of the country. Another name is Czechs. There are two nationalities of Czechs - Moravans and Silesians. It was from the dialects of the latter that the modern Czech language was formed.

This people lives on the territory of modern Czech Republic, as well as in the USA, France, Great Britain, Croatia, Argentina, Canada, Australia. Significant communities of Czechs also live in neighboring states - Austria, Poland, Slovakia. There is also a small Muslim diaspora in connection with the wars in the Far East.

History of the people

The first Slavs began to appear on the territory of modern Bohemia around the third century. And already in the 6th-7th centuries they became the predominant population of this land, displacing the Celts and Germans. In those days, these places were called Bohemia. There were many tribes, but the principality of the Czechs was the strongest.

In the 9th century, the territory of these lands belonged to the Great Moravian Empire. Moravans merged with the Czechs and formed in the 11th century. a single nation.

Even less than a hundred years later, the Principality of Prague was formed on the territory of the country. And already from the second half of the 12th century. The country became part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Czech Republic has become a kind of German colony. Of course, the common people were extremely dissatisfied, and this led to the Hussite wars.

Barely recovering from colonization, the Czech Republic again fell under the rule of a more powerful force. In the 16th century, the Habsburg dynasty came to power, which led to a long-term Germanization of the Czech nation.

The national state of Czechs and Slovaks was formed only with the collapse of Austria-Hungary (1918). In 1993, it broke up again, this time separately into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the twentieth century, most people lived in the country in the 1990s, then the population of the Czech Republic sharply decreased. The demographic crisis was overcome only in the 2000s.

The history of the Czech people is a constant struggle for national identity. In the 12th century, German colonization began, which led to a violation of ethnic unity. At that time, if we briefly describe the population of the Czech Republic, then these were often the upper classes who arrived from Germany and the ordinary inhabitants who remained Czech-speaking. The kings themselves invited the German nobles and farmers, and some even spoke German. You can understand what difficulties the population of the Czech Republic experienced, because all the nobles spoke the same language, completely alien, and even adopted the culture and manner of behavior. The whole country in those days resembled a province of Germany, just with Czech peasants.

Also, a difficult situation developed in the 16th century, when the Habsburg dynasty, which came to power, tried to Germanize the Czechs. The nobles quickly adopted the Austrian culture, the German language. Only in the first half of the 19th century did the Czech national identity awaken again, the literary language was revived.

Ethnic composition of the population

The vast majority of Czech citizens are the Czech nation. They are almost 95 percent. Other minorities are a real "hodgepodge". There are Slovaks, Germans, Jews, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Russians, and Poles here.

Interestingly, among foreigners living in the country, 13 percent are Vietnamese. This happened back in the days of Czech communism, when the inhabitants of Vietnam were allowed to receive education here. Many of them subsequently remained in the country and make the ethnic picture of the Czech population more diverse.

There is also a high percentage of Ukrainians (30%) who come here in search of work and a better life. In connection with the abolition of visas for Ukraine by the European Union, the flow has increased even more.

Settle in the Czech Republic and other Europeans, even from more developed countries. People choose this country for living, as there is a fairly good standard of living, while the prices for housing and food are quite low. Moreover, the country, in principle, is beautiful in itself. Let there be no sea here, but beautiful lakes, many charming cozy towns and ancient sights. There are 12 World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic, which is more than in neighboring Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Character and mentality

What is the population in the Czech Republic? Czechs can be called very calm people, restrained, non-conflict and quiet. These are people with a good sense of humor, while they love all sorts of horror stories and mystical stories. Night tours are very popular in the capital of Prague, during which all sorts of frightening stories are told to those who wish.

We can also note the practicality of the Czechs. They do not buy any knick-knacks, and they always know exactly what they go to the store for. In addition, the Czechs are very polite. Many have higher education and the vast majority speak at least one foreign language very well.

It is also one of the sickest nations in the world, and also one of the most drunk.

Population density

The United Nations Department of Statistics provides the following data to date. The population density of the Czech Republic is 134 people per square kilometer. This makes this country quite densely populated. For comparison, this is more than in Denmark, Poland.

The current population of the Czech Republic is 10.5 million people. There are slightly more women, almost 51 percent. The increase in numbers is very small, just over seven thousand people a year. Thus, the natural increase is less than one percent. About 6,000 migrants arrive in the country every year. In the last decade, the largest number of immigrants came from Ukraine (more than 30%) and Slovakia (17%). According to the calculations of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in 2018, an increase in the number in the Czech Republic by about 20 people per day is expected.

Age distribution

A little less than one and a half million young people under 15 live in the Czech Republic. This makes up 13 percent of the state's population. Pensioners (65+) in the country live 16 percent. Adults aged 16 to 64 make up the vast majority of people living in the Czech Republic. The country's population of working age is 70 percent. Such a pyramid of ages is typical for developed countries, where there is a high long-term standard of living. Up to one fifth of the population are pensioners.

Languages ​​in the Czech Republic

The main language spoken by the vast majority of the country's population is Czech. It belongs to the Slavic language family, in particular to the Western subgroup. There are also dialects of Czech - Silesian, Middle and East Moravian. In general, all Czechs understand each other, no matter what dialect they speak.

About 2 percent of citizens speak Slovak in the Czech Republic. Slovakia is close to the Czechs both in historical terms (after all, until 1993 it was one state - Czechoslovakia), and in linguistic terms. Both languages ​​belong to the same subgroup of the West Slavic languages ​​of the Slavic branch (Polish and Lusatian are also included in it).

There also remains a German-speaking minority living in the Sudetenland, an area of ​​ethnic Germans and Austrians. Some of the people living here were deported after the Second World War, but some remained.

The population of the Czech Republic is 10.5 million people, of which most of the ethnic composition is represented by Czechs (95%) and foreigners (5%), these are Ukrainians, Slovaks (2% of the population), Russians, Poles, Vietnamese. Most citizens of the country (95%) speak Czech (belonging to the group of West Slavic languages), a smaller one (3%) speaks Slovak, closely related to Czech, the rest are native speakers of Hungarian, German, Polish and Romani.

Peoples inhabiting the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe with a population density of 130 people per km2. More than 95% of the population are ethnic Czechs, they speak the Czech language, which has three dialects: Czech, Middle Moravian and East Moravian, they preserve the customs and traditions of the Czech people. Slovaks, Poles, Germans and Hungarians constitute an ethnic minority (about 1%) and are equally full citizens of the country. Also, according to a statistical survey conducted at the beginning of the 2000s, about 3.6% of the Czech population consider themselves Moravians (living on the territory of the historical region of Moravia in the southeast of the country), 0.1% - Silesians (Silesia is a historical region of the northeast Czech Republic).

Culture and life

The Czech Republic is famous for its centuries-old customs and traditions, a culture that has more than one and a half thousand years of history. This small but proud country, which throughout its existence has been influenced by various peoples and their cultures (Hungarians, Germans, Poles), has managed to preserve its originality and uniqueness, and it is passed down by its people from generation to generation.

Czechs are very hospitable, friendly and polite people, here they shake hands when they meet, give hostesses flowers when they come to visit, respect elders, treat strangers well, honor their traditions and customs. Be sure to include elements of folklore, folk traditions and ancient rituals in their holidays and celebrations. They love folk music. They generally do not have a single holiday without a concert, fun music and dancing. Every year since 1946, Prague has hosted the Prague Spring Music Festival, which brings together music lovers and jazz, classical and punk bands from all over the world. Czechs are considered very calm, balanced people who value order and a practical approach in all matters. They are not accustomed to getting into the affairs of others, they live a measured life and calmly, without haste, deal with their issues.

Family values ​​for the Czechs in the first place, the classic version of the Czech family is a working husband and wife, taking care of the hearth and children. Holidays are usually celebrated in the family circle, Sunday lunch at a common table is an obligatory custom in most Czech families, during the summer vacation period, families usually go to rest on the Mediterranean coast. Although the Czechs are good-natured and friendly people, they are not distinguished by openness - it is not customary for them to flaunt their feelings and emotions, they are restrained, tolerant and they are very conservative in their views.

The Czech Republic ranks first in the world in terms of beer consumption, here you can drink it in the morning and no one sees anything reprehensible in this. This intoxicating foamy drink for them is a habit and a kind of national way of life, without it many Czechs simply cannot imagine their existence and for them it is not alcohol, but part of their worldview, an indispensable source of energy and vigor, like for someone a sip of fresh and crystal pure water.

Holidays and customs

The most important religious holiday throughout Europe and in general and the Czech Republic in frequency is Catholic Christmas, which the Czechs treat with special respect, it is celebrated on December 25th. The day before the holiday on December 24 is called the Generous Evening, it is dedicated to preparing for the main celebration: mothers and children prepare festive sweets, the father goes to the fish market in search of carp suitable for the main dish. It is not customary to eat meat at Christmas dinner, the main dishes are baked carp, fish soup, potato salad. Czech Santa Claus - Hedgehog comes at the call of the bell on December 24 and gives gifts to children.

And the good Saint Mikulas also gives joy to children, he comes to Czech children at the very beginning of winter (December 6). His appearance is quite impressive: a long white coat, a beard, a high hat, a long staff with a twisted spiral top and a huge knapsack of gifts on his back.

One of the brightest and most memorable Czech winter holidays is Maslenitsa, which, like in Russia, is celebrated widely and cheerfully, with delicious treats, fairs, carnival processions and performances, folk festivals. It is called in the Czech Republic Masopusta (literally "fasting from meat"), it is celebrated in the last week of February.

The official holidays of the Czech Republic are the Day of the Restoration of the Independent Czech State (January 1), Victory Day (May 8), Cyril and Methodius Day (July 5), Czech Statehood Day (September 28), etc.