Population change - year 2007

Increase in the number of live births to 114.6 thousands along with the stagnation of the number of deaths on 104.6 thousands led to the highest level of natural increase in last 25 years, by 10.0 thousands. Including external migration (83.9 ths.) the total increase of population of the Czech Republic in 2007 was 93.9 thousands. The total fertility rate rose to 1.44 children per woman in childbearing age. Also the number of marriages (57.2 ths.) significantly increased, while the numbers of divorces (31.1 ths.) and abortions (40.9 ths.) rather stagnated.
According to the results of the preliminary statistical balance the population of the Czech Republic (CR) stood at 10,381,130 as at 31 December 2007. The natural increase was 10.0 thousands; while ten thousands was exceeded last time in 1982. The net migration amounted to 83.9 thousands and the total increase of 93.9 thousands was the highest one since the early 1950s. The number of inhabitants of the CR has been continuously rising for five years. The population aging appeared in the decrease of proportion of 0-14 years old to 14.2% while the proportion of those aged 65+ increased to 14.6%.

The number of live births in 2007 was 114.6 thousands, by 8.8 thousands more than in previous year and the highest number since 1993, when the fast drop even under the level of ninety thousands started. The recent increase may be interpreted as a secondary population wave of children born to numerous generations of mothers of the 1970s. Half of the increase can be attributed to the children of second order, who are being mostly delivered by women of age 29 to 32 years. Total fertility rate significantly increased from 1.33 in 2006 to 1.44. The fertility increase intensified, but the recovery will probably not last long; during five years, after the populous 1970s cohorts will get over their reproductive life span, the number of childbirths will start to decline again. Even now the fertility level is still unable to maintain the reproduction of population in long-term view – net reproduction rate, representing the number of girls per woman, surviving until the age of mother, stood at 0.70, which means that the generations would be numerically reproduced only by 70%. Continuing postponement of motherhood towards older ages is documented by the increase in mean age of mothers by 0.2 years, to 29.1 years in total and to 27.1 years at first birth.

Outside marriage was born 34.5% of live births, by 1.2 percent more than in the previous year. Among first births the figure was even 44%, while 30% of first marital children were born until 8 months after marriage. Since 2007, the characteristics of father are recorded not only for marital births but also for non-marital births. From the total number of 39.5 thousands children born outside marriage there were no information for 28%, in 72% cases the information about father was filled. The proportion of extra-marital children as well as the proportion of missing information about father goes up with lower level of education of mother – primary educated women deliver their first babies in 82% of cases outside marriage and among half of such children there is no information about father stated. The mean age of fathers was 32.9 years in 2007; the gap between the mean age of fathers and mothers was 3.8 years. Mean age of fathers at birth of a first child was 31.2. Women with foreign citizenship had 2 094 children, which is only 1.8% of the total, but by 369 more than in 2006.

There were registered 104.6 thousands deaths in 2007, i.e. by 0.2 thousands more than in the previous year. The number of infant deaths was 360, the infant mortality rate continued to decrease to 3.1 deaths under 1 year of age per 1,000 live births. The life expectancy at birth increased by about quarter a year compared to 2006, to 73.7 years among men and 79.9 among women. The main causes of death are the diseases of the circulatory system (50 % of deaths) and neoplasms (26%), the external causes amounted for 6% of deaths. Since 2007 the place of death is being newly recorded; 18% of deaths happened at home, 60% at hospitals, 8% in other medical institution, 5% at social welfare facility (retirement home), 2% on the street (public place) and 7% on other place.

The number of marriages was by 4.3 thousands higher than in 2006 and reached the number 57.2 thousands. The number of marriages was affected by an attractive date 07/07/2007, when a record breaking number of 4,406 marriages has been concluded. Monthly number for July (10,8 ths.) thus exceeded that of July 2006 by 3.5 thousands. According to nuptiality life tables, 71.1% of women and 64.5% of men would marry before age 50 under present age-specific nuptiality rates. The mean age at first marriage was 31.2 years for men and 28.6 years for women, by about 0.2 years higher than in the previous year. The number of marriages where at least one of engaged is foreign citizen was 5.0 thousands.

The number of divorces stood at 31.1 thousands in 2007, by 0.3 ths. lower than in 2006. The total divorce rate was 48.7% of marriages ultimately terminated by divorce, the same as in 2006. Mean duration of divorced marriage was 12.3 years; the highest intensity of marital dissolution is in third to sixth year of matrimony. About 20% of people are being divorced multiple times. The number of children affected by divorce was 27.5 thousands in 2007, 41% of divorced couples had no minors.

The number of abortions performed in 2007 was 40.9 thousands, by 1.0 ths. higher than in the previous year. The structure of abortions is under change: while the number of spontaneous abortions increased by 0.8 ths. to 14.1 thousands, the number of induced abortions stayed on 25.4 thousands (76% of them by means of vacuum aspiration technique). Besides, 1.4 thousands of ectopic pregnancies were terminated. The proportion of induced abortions for medical reasons was 19%. The total abortion rate in 2007 was 0.52, the total induced abortion rate was 0.34. Proportion of abortions performed to women of foreign citizenship was 6.5% total and 8% as of induced abortions.

Registered external migration added 83.9 thousands inhabitants to the population of CR, which is almost same as the sum of the figures in three previous years. The number of immigrants increased by 36.3 thousands to 104.4 thousands, while the number of emigrants decreased by 13.0 thousands to 20.5 thousands. The highest net migration was again reached with Ukraine (30.9 ths.), followed by Slovakia (13.1 ths.) and Vietnam (11.3 ths.). According to the data from Alien and Border Police there were 392,087 foreigners living legally in the Czech Republic as of 31 December 2007; i.e. 3.8% of population of the Czech Republic.

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Notes:
Contact person: Kryštof Zeman, PhD, phone: (+420)274054067, e-mail: krystof.zeman@csu.gov.cz
Data sources: Demographic statistics – results of processing statistical reports of Obyv series (notifications of the entry into marriage, of birth, of death, of divorce).
Migration data – Alien Information System (Alien and Border Police Service) and the Central Population Register Record (Ministry of Interior).
Abortions – Institute of Health Information and Statistics.
All data refer to the resident population of the Czech Republic, irrespective of citizenship. Since 2001, the figures also include (in accordance with the Population and Housing Census 2001) foreigners with long-term stay (i.e., the stay based on visa over 90 days, as stipulated by Act No. 326/1999 Coll.) and foreigners with granted asylum status (in compliance with Act No. 325/1999 Coll.). Since 1st May 2004, in accordance with amendment No. 326/1999 Coll., the figures include citizens of the European Union with temporary stay on the territory of the Czech Republic, and citizens of other countries with long-term stay. The data contain also information on events (marriages, births and deaths) of permanent residents of the Czech Republic that occurred abroad.
All results for 2007 are preliminary.
Related publications: 4001-07 Population of the Czech Republic in 2007
4001-06 Population of the Czech Republic in 2006