At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia, a parliamentarian democracy. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, the new country’s predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the territory that today comprises Czechia, and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) fell within the Soviet sphere of influence when the pro-Soviet Communist party staged a coup in February 1948. In 1968, an invasion by fellow Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country’s leaders to liberalize communist rule and create “socialism with a human face,” ushering in a period of repression known as “normalization.” The peaceful “Velvet Revolution” swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent “velvet divorce” into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. The country formally added the short-form name Czechia in 2016, while also continuing to use the full form name, the Czech Republic.
land: 77,247 sq km
water: 1,620 sq km
border countries (4): Austria 402 km; Germany 704 km; Poland 699 km; Slovakia 241 km
lowest point: Labe (Elbe) River 115 m
mean elevation: 433 m
arable land: 41% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 12.8% (2018 est.)
forest: 34.4% (2018 est.)
other: 10.8% (2018 est.)
note 2: the Hranice Abyss in Czechia is the world’s deepest surveyed underwater cave at 404 m (1,325 ft); its survey is not complete and it could end up being some 800-1,200 m deep
10,706,242 (2023 est.)
noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech
Czech 57.3%, Moravian 3.4%, other 7.7%, unspecified 31.6% (2021 est.)
note: includes only persons with one ethnicity
Czech (official) 88.4%, Slovak 1.5%, other 2.6%, unspecified 7.2%
note: includes only persons with one mother tongue (2021 est.)
major-language sample(s):
World Fackbook, nepostradatelný zdroj základních informací. (Czech)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic 7%, other believers belonging to a church or religious society 6% (includes Evangelical United Brethren Church and Czechoslovak Hussite Church), believers unaffiliated with a religious society 9.1%, none 47.8%, unspecified 30.1% (2021 est.)
0-14 years: 14.68% (male 808,583/female 763,540)
15-64 years: 64.18% (male 3,514,664/female 3,356,764)
65 years and over: 21.13% (2023 est.) (male 954,139/female 1,308,552)
total dependency ratio: 57.4
youth dependency ratio: 25.2
elderly dependency ratio: 32.2
potential support ratio: 3.1 (2021 est.)
total: 43.9 years (2023 est.)
male: 42.5 years
female: 45.4 years
0.1% (2023 est.)
10 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
12.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, but the northern and eastern regions tend to have larger urban concentrations
urban population: 74.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.323 million PRAGUE (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
28.5 years (2020 est.)
3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 2.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 78.3 years (2023 est.)
male: 75.1 years
female: 81.6 years
1.74 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.85 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: 99.9% of population
rural: 99.8% of population
total: 99.9% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population
rural: 0.2% of population
total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
9.2% of GDP (2020)
4.15 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
6.6 beds/1,000 population (2018)
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
26% (2016)
total: 12.73 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 6.77 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 2.73 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 3.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 30.7% (2020 est.)
male: 35% (2020 est.)
female: 26.4% (2020 est.)
NA
48.4% (2023 est.)
5.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: NA
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2011)
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2020)
air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; land pollution caused by industry, mining, and agriculture
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
agricultural land: 54.8% (2018 est.)
arable land: 41% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 12.8% (2018 est.)
forest: 34.4% (2018 est.)
other: 10.8% (2018 est.)
urban population: 74.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.17% of GDP (2017 est.)
0.14% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 14.34 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 102.22 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 13.11 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 3.337 million tons (2015 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 850,935 tons (2015 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 25.5% (2015 est.)
Dunaj (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km; Labe (Elbe) river source (shared with Germany [m]) - 1,252 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)
municipal: 630 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 700 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 40 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
13.5 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
high income, diversified EU economy; advanced services and automotive exporter; mostly intra-EU trader; low unemployment; usually maintains a positive trade balance; large investments in systems innovation and information technologies
$428.016 billion (2021 est.)
$413.365 billion (2020 est.)
$437.437 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
3.54% (2021 est.)
-5.5% (2020 est.)
3.03% (2019 est.)
$40,700 (2021 est.)
$38,600 (2020 est.)
$41,000 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$250.631 billion (2019 est.)
3.84% (2021 est.)
3.16% (2020 est.)
2.85% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: AA- (2018)
Moody’s rating: Aa3 (2019)
Standard & Poors rating: AA- (2011)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 2.3% (2017 est.)
industry: 36.9% (2017 est.)
services: 60.8% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 47.4% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 19.2% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 24.7% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1.1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 79.9% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -72.3% (2017 est.)
wheat, sugar beet, milk, barley, rapeseed, potatoes, maize, pork, triticale, poultry
motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass, armaments
3.3% (2021 est.)
5.266 million (2021 est.)
2.89% (2021 est.)
2.55% (2020 est.)
2.01% (2019 est.)
total: 7.6% (2021 est.)
male: 6.9%
female: 8.7%
10.1% (2018 est.)
25.3 (2019 est.)
on food: 16.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 8% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 21.7% (2015 est.)
revenues: $103.838 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $103.167 billion (2019 est.)
1.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
34.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
36.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
14.34% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$2.282 billion (2021 est.)
$4.967 billion (2020 est.)
$898.074 million (2019 est.)
$204.785 billion (2021 est.)
$172.837 billion (2020 est.)
$186.545 billion (2019 est.)
note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Germany 31%, Slovakia 7%, Poland 6%, France 5% (2019)
cars and vehicle parts, computers, broadcasting equipment, office machinery and parts, insulated wiring (2021)
$196.243 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$156.129 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$171.429 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Germany 27%, China 12%, Poland 9%, Slovakia 5% (2019)
broadcasting equipment, cars and vehicle parts, office machinery/parts, computers, packaged medicines (2019)
$173.618 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$166.126 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$149.856 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$191.871 billion (2019 est.)
$200.197 billion (2018 est.)
koruny (CZK) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
21.678 (2021 est.)
23.21 (2020 est.)
22.932 (2019 est.)
21.73 (2018 est.)
23.376 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 22.485 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 60.814 billion kWh (2020 est.)
exports: 23.521 billion kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 13.368 billion kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 4.117 billion kWh (2020 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 47% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 37.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 4.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Number of operational nuclear reactors: 6 (2023)
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 0
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 3.93GW (2023)
Percent of total electricity production: 36.7% (2021)
Percent of total energy produced: 38.3% (2021)
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 0
production: 33.806 million metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 37.212 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 1.885 million metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 3.795 million metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 2.927 billion metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 6,300 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 219,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 400 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 150,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 15 million barrels (2021 est.)
177,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
52,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
83,860 bbl/day (2017 est.)
production: 189.185 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
consumption: 8,815,133,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2020 est.)
imports: 7,590,318,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 3.964 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
99.533 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 57.268 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 25.526 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 16.739 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
161.972 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 4 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 48
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 5,727,200 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 25.23 million (2018) mt-km
OK
128 (2021)
41
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
87
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
1 (2021)
7,160 km gas, 675 km oil, 94 km refined products (2016)
total: 9,548 km (2020) 3,242 km electrified
total: 55,744 km (2019) (includes urban and category I, II, III roads)
paved: 55,744 km (2019) (includes 1,252 km of expressways)
664 km (2010) (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals)
river port(s): Prague (Vltava)
Decin, Usti nad Labem (Elbe)
manyapis