Czechia
Czech RepublicCeska republika
parliamentary republic
Czechia as the 2024 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 157 fields, one of 33 editions from 1993 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria
19 fieldsLand useshare of 78,867 sq km
Terrain
Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country
Major rivers (by length in 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
Population distribution
a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, but the northern and eastern regions tend to have larger urban concentrations
Geography - note
note 1: landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe
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
People and Society
36 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2024 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2024 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2021 est.)
Religions(2021 est.)
Languages
Czech (official) 88.4%, Slovak 1.5%, other 2.6%, unspecified 7.2% (2021 est.); major-language sample(s): World Factbook, nepostradatelný zdroj základních informací. (Czech); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: includes only persons with one mother tongue
Population distribution
a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, but the northern and eastern regions tend to have larger urban concentrations
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.71 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- total:
- 2.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
- male:
- 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births
- female:
- 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Alcohol consumption per capita
- 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.)
Environment
14 fieldsLand use(2018 est.)
Environment - current issues
- 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
Environment - international agreements
- 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
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 74.6% of total population (2023)
- rate of urbanization:
- 0.2% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Air pollutants
- 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.)
Waste and recycling
- 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.)
Major rivers (by length in 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
Total water withdrawal
- municipal:
- 630 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
- industrial:
- 700 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
- agricultural:
- 40 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Geoparks
- total global geoparks and regional networks:
- 1
- global geoparks and regional networks:
- Bohemian Paradise (2023)
Government
Parliamentary republic; President Petr PAVEL (since 9 March 2023); Prime Minister Petr FIALA (since 17 December 2021)
22 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Chamber of Deputiespercent of vote
Composition: men 148, women 52, percent of women 26%
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Czech Republic
- conventional short form:
- Czechia
- local long form:
- Ceska republika
- local short form:
- Cesko
- etymology:
- name derives from the Czechs, a West Slavic tribe who rose to prominence in the late 9th century A.D.;
- the country officially adopted the English short-form name of Czechia on 1 July 2016
Capital
- name:
- Prague
- geographic coordinates:
- 50 05 N, 14 28 E
- time difference:
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- daylight saving time:
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
- etymology:
- the name may derive from an old Slavic root "praga" or "prah", meaning "ford", and refer to the city's origin at a crossing point of the Vltava (Moldau) River
Administrative divisions
- 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto);
- Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky (Karlovy Vary), Kralovehradecky (Hradec Kralove), Liberecky (Liberec), Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky (Olomouc), Pardubicky (Pardubice), Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky (Usti), Vysocina (Highlands), Zlinsky (Zlin)
Independence
- 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia);
- note - although 1 January is the day the Czech Republic came into being, the Czechs commemorate 28 October 1918, the day the former Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as their independence day
Legal system
new civil code enacted in 2014, replacing civil code of 1964 - based on former Austro-Hungarian civil codes and socialist theory - and reintroducing former Czech legal terminology
Constitution
- history:
- previous 1960; latest ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993
- amendments:
- passage requires at least three-fifths concurrence of members present in both houses of Parliament; amended several times, last in 2021
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth:
- no
- citizenship by descent only:
- at least one parent must be a citizen of Czechia
- dual citizenship recognized:
- no
- residency requirement for naturalization:
- 5 years
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Petr PAVEL (since 9 March 2023)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Petr FIALA (since 17 December 2021)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
- elections/appointments:
- president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (limited to 2 consecutive terms);
- elections last held on 13 to 14 January 2023 with a second round held from 27 to 28 January 2023;
- next election to be by January 2028;
- prime minister appointed by the president for a 4-year term
- election results:
- ; 2018: Milos ZEMAN reelected president in the second round; percent of vote - Milos ZEMAN (SPO) 51.4%, Jiri DRAHOS (independent) 48.6%
- 2023: Petr PAVEL elected in the second round;
- percent of vote in the first round - Petr PAVEL (independent) 35.4%, Andrej BABIS (ANO) 35 % , Danuse NERUDOVA (Mayors and Independents) 13.9%, Pavel FISCHER (independent) 6.8%;
- percent of vote in the second round - Petr PAVEL 58.3%, Andrej BABIS 41.6%
Legislative branch
- description:
- bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of:; Senate or Senat (81 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years); Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members directly elected in 14 multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote with a 5% threshold required to fill a seat; members serve 4-year terms)
- elections:
- Senate - last held on 20 to 21 September 2024 with a runoff from 27 to 28 September 2024 (next to be held in September 2026); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 8 to 9 October 2021 (next to be held by October 2025)
- election results:
- Senate - percent of vote - NA; - seats by party/coalition - NA;
- Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party/coalition – SPOLU 27.8%, ANO 27.1%, Pirates and STAN 15.6%, SPD 9.6%, other 19.9%;
- seats by party/coalition - ANO 72, SPOLU 71, Pirates and STAN 37, SPD 20;
- composition - men 148, women 52, percent of women 26%;
- note - total Parliament percent of women 23.8%
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- Supreme Court (organized into Civil Law and Commercial Division, and Criminal Division each with a court chief justice, vice justice, and several judges);
- Constitutional Court (consists of 15 justices);
- Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 36 judges, including the court president and vice president, and organized into 6-, 7-, and 9-member chambers)
- judge selection and term of office:
- Supreme Court judges proposed by the Chamber of Deputies and appointed by the president;
- judges appointed for life;
- Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate;
- judges appointed for 10-year, renewable terms;
- Supreme Administrative Court judges selected by the president of the Court;
- unlimited terms
- subordinate courts:
- High Court; regional and district courts
Political parties
- Action of Dissatisfied Citizens or ANO ( Akce nespokojených občanů)
- Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-ČSL
- Civic Democratic Party or ODS
- Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSČM
- Czech Pirate Party or Piráti
- ForMOST or ProMOST
- Freedom and Direct Democracy or SPD
- Independents or NEZ
- Mayors and Independents or STAN
- Mayors for the Liberec Region or SLK
- Ostravak
- Přísaha
- Senator 21 or SEN 21
- Social Democracy SOCDEM
- Svobodni
- Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 or TOP 09
- Tábor 2020 or T2020
- United Democrats - Association of Independents or SD-SN
International organization participation
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Miloslav STAŠEK (since 16 September 2022)
- chancery:
- 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008-3803
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 274-9100
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 966-8540
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://www.mzv.cz/washington/
- consulate(s) general:
- Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Bijan SABET (since 15 February 2023)
- embassy:
- Trziste 15, 118 01 Praha 1 - Mala Strana
- mailing address:
- 5630 Prague Place, Washington DC 20521-5630
- telephone:
- [420] 257-022-000
- FAX:
- [420] 257-022-809
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://cz.usembassy.gov/
Flag description
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side note: combines the white and red colors of Bohemia with blue from the arms of Moravia; is identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia
National anthem
- name:
- "Kde domov muj?" (Where is My Home?)
- lyrics/music:
- Josef Kajetan TYL/Frantisek Jan SKROUP
note: adopted 1993; the anthem was originally written as incidental music to the play "Fidlovacka" (1834), it soon became very popular as an unofficial anthem of the Czech nation;
its first verse served as the official Czechoslovak anthem beginning in 1918, while the second verse (Slovak) was dropped after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993
National heritage
- total World Heritage Sites:
- 17 (16 cultural, 1 natural)
- selected World Heritage Site locales:
- Historic Prague (c);
- Historic Telč (c);
- Historic Český Krumlov (c);
- Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape (c);
- Historic Kutná Hora (c);
- Holy Trinity Column, Olomouc (c);
- Karlovy Vary Spa (c);
- Zatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops;
- Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops (n)
Economy
32 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP · (2023 est.)
Budget(2022 est.)
Economic overview
- high-income, diversified EU economy;
- manufacturing-oriented exporter led by automotive industry;
- growth stalled by inflation and energy supply disruption;
- business-friendly regulatory frameworks;
- tight labor market with low unemployment;
- seeking reforms to support decarbonization and improve energy efficiency
Credit ratings
- 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.
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture:
- 1.6% (2023 est.)
- industry:
- 30.2% (2023 est.)
- services:
- 59.8% (2023 est.)
note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
Agricultural products
wheat, sugar beets, milk, barley, rapeseed, potatoes, maize, pork, triticale, oats (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Labor force
5.502 million (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Unemployment rate
2.59% (2023 est.) · 2.22% (2022 est.) · 2.8% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
- total:
- 8.3% (2023 est.)
- male:
- 7.8% (2023 est.)
- female:
- 9% (2023 est.)
note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
Population below poverty line
10.2% (2021 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
26.2 (2021 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Average household expenditures
- on food:
- 16.4% of household expenditures (2022 est.)
- on alcohol and tobacco:
- 8.2% of household expenditures (2022 est.)
Remittances
1.27% of GDP (2023 est.) · 1.43% of GDP (2022 est.) · 1.56% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Taxes and other revenues
13.13% (of GDP) (2022 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
Current account balance
$1.281 billion (2023 est.) · -$17.366 billion (2022 est.) · -$7.686 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exports
$236.688 billion (2023 est.) · $217.731 billion (2022 est.) · $205.626 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Exports - commodities
cars, vehicle parts/accessories, broadcasting equipment, computers, plastic products (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports
$219.393 billion (2023 est.) · $218.002 billion (2022 est.) · $197.515 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Imports - commodities
broadcasting equipment, vehicle parts/accessories, natural gas, machine parts, plastic products (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$148.379 billion (2023 est.) · $139.981 billion (2022 est.) · $173.618 billion (2021 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Exchange rates
koruny (CZK) per US dollar - 22.198 (2023 est.) · 23.357 (2022 est.) · 21.678 (2021 est.) · 23.21 (2020 est.) · 22.932 (2019 est.)
Energy
9 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2022 est.)
Installed generating capacity, 21.914 million kW(2022 est.)
Nuclear energy
- Number of operational nuclear reactors:
- 6 (2023)
- Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:
- 3.93GW (2023 est.)
- Percent of total electricity production:
- 40% (2023 est.)
Coal
- production:
- 37.423 million metric tons (2022 est.)
- consumption:
- 40.239 million metric tons (2022 est.)
- exports:
- 2.575 million metric tons (2022 est.)
- imports:
- 4.516 million metric tons (2022 est.)
- proven reserves:
- 3.595 billion metric tons (2022 est.)
Petroleum
- total petroleum production:
- 4,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- refined petroleum consumption:
- 211,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- crude oil estimated reserves:
- 15 million barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
- production:
- 224.725 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- consumption:
- 7.602 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- imports:
- 8.608 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- proven reserves:
- 3.964 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
91.213 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from coal and metallurgical coke:
- 51.306 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from petroleum and other liquids:
- 25.255 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from consumed natural gas:
- 14.652 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
Communications
7 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2020–22 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- general assessment:
- telcos in the Czech Republic have become multi-service providers, offering a full range of fixed and mobile services;
- this has enabled the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to expand the reach of their 5G networks while they have been closing down 3G networks and repurposing the internet for 5G and long-term evolution (LTE) use (2024)
- domestic:
- roughly 12 fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants and mobile telephone usage of 128 per 100 inhabitants (2022)
- international:
- country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2019)
Broadcast media
- 22 TV stations operate nationally, with 17 of them in private hands;
- publicly operated Czech Television has 5 national channels;
- throughout the country, there are some 350 TV channels in operation, many through cable, satellite, and IPTV subscription services;
- 63 radio broadcasters are registered, operating over 80 radio stations, including 7 multiregional radio stations or networks;
- publicly operated broadcaster Czech Radio operates 4 national, 14 regional, and 4 Internet stations;
- both Czech Radio and Czech Television are partially financed through a license fee (2019)
Transportation
8 fieldsNetworkskm
National air transport system
- 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
Waterways
664 km (2010) (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals)
Military and Security
Czech Armed Forces: Land Forces, Air Forces, Cyber Forces, Special Forces (2024)
7 fieldsPersonnel strengthsone square, 100 people · (2024)
Military and security forces
Czech Armed Forces: Land Forces, Air Forces, Cyber Forces, Special Forces (2024)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the Czech military has a mix of domestically produced, Soviet-era, and more recently acquired modern weapons and equipment from such suppliers as Austria, Germany, Sweden, and the US;
- its domestic defense industry has produced such items as armored combat vehicles and light attack aircraft;
- during the Cold War, Czechoslovakia was a major producer of tanks, armored personnel carriers, military trucks, and trainer aircraft (2024)
note: in 2019, Czechia announced a modernization plan to acquire more Western equipment that was compliant with NATO standards, including armored vehicles, fighter aircraft, and helicopters
Military service age and obligation
18-28 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished 2004 (2024) note: as of 2023, women comprised nearly 14% of the military's full-time personnel
Military - note
the Czech military is responsible for national and territorial defense, assisting civil authorities during natural disasters or other emergencies, boosting border security alongside the police, participating in international peacekeeping operations, and supporting its collective security commitments to the EU and NATO, both of which Czechia considers pillars of its national security strategy;
Czechia is a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, contributes to UN peacekeeping operations, and actively participates in EU military and security missions under the EU Common Security and Defense Policy; the Czech military has been an active member of NATO since the country joined in 2009 and participates in a variety of NATO’s collective defense missions, including contributing to the Enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe, Baltic Air Policing operations, rapid response forces, and operations in Kosovo;
it also exercises regularly with NATO partners and maintains close bilateral ties to a number of militaries particularly partner members of the Visegrad Group (Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) and Germany
the military has commands for its land, air, cyber/information operations, and territorial forces, as well as a joint operations command and a special forces directorate; the Territorial Command is responsible for the active reserves and regional military commands that align with each of Czechia’s 13 regions and the capital, Prague (2024)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsRefugees and internally displaced persons
- refugees (country of origin):
- 381,400 (Ukraine) (as of 31 January 2024)
- stateless persons:
- 1,625 (2022)
Illicit drugs
- main country of origin of methamphetamine in European markets;
- manufacture of methamphetamine continues to be mostly based on pseudoephedrine from Poland or Turkey
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Czechia.” The World Factbook 2024. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/czechia/2024.