Czechia

Broadcast media

roughly 130 TV broadcasters operating some 350 channels with 4 publicly operated and the remainder in private hands; 16 TV stations have national coverage with 4 being publicly operated; cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; 63 radio broadcasters are registered operating roughly 80 radio stations with 15 stations publicly operated; 10 radio stations provide national coverage with the remainder local or regional (2008)

Internet country code

.cz

Internet users

total: 8.2 million | percent of population: 77.5% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Radio broadcast stations

AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Telephone system

general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; virtually all exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay | domestic: access to the fixed-line telephone network expanded throughout the 1990s, but the number of fixed line connections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s, and the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population | international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 1.89 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 60

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 14 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 131 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70

Television broadcast stations

71 (2008)

Agriculture - products

wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Budget

revenues: $81.98 billion | expenditures: $85.32 billion (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-1.7% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72

Central bank discount rate

0.05% (31 December 2013) | 0.05% (31 December 2012) | note: this is the two-week repo, the main rate CNB uses | country comparison to the world: 151

Commercial bank prime lending rate

4.7% (31 December 2014 est.) | 4.97% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 157

Current account balance

$1.266 billion (2014 est.) | -$2.853 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Debt - external

$116.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $114.3 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 44

Distribution of family income - Gini index

24.9 (2012) | 25.4 (1996) | country comparison to the world: 136

Economy - overview

The Czech Republic is a stable and prosperous market economy closely integrated with the EU, especially since the country's EU accession in 2004. The auto industry is the largest single industry, and, together with its upstream suppliers, accounts for nearly 24% of Czech manufacturing. The Czech Republic produced more than a million cars for the first time in 2010, over 80% of which were exported. While the conservative, inward-looking Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy, the small, open, export-driven Czech economy remains sensitive to changes in the economic performance of its main export markets, especially Germany. When Western Europe and Germany fell into recession in late 2008, demand for Czech goods plunged, leading to double digit drops in industrial production and exports. As a result, real GDP fell sharply in 2009. The economy slowly recovered in the second half of 2009 and registered weak growth in the next two years. In 2012 and 2013, however, the economy fell into a recession again, due both to a slump in external demand in the EU and to the government’s austerity measures, returning to weak growth in 2014. Foreign and domestic businesses alike voice concerns about corruption, especially in public procurement. Other long term challenges include dealing with a rapidly aging population, funding an unsustainable pension and health care system, and diversifying away from manufacturing and toward a more high-tech, services-based, knowledge economy.

Exchange rates

koruny (CZK) per US dollar - | 20.63 (2014 est.) | 19.571 (2013 est.) | 19.59 (2012 est.) | 17.696 (2011 est.) | 19.098 (2010 est.)

Exports

$147.3 billion (2014 est.) | $135.6 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, raw materials, fuel, chemicals

Exports - partners

Germany 32.4%, Slovakia 8.4%, Poland 6%, UK 5.1%, France 5.1%, Austria 4.4% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$205.7 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$314.6 billion (2014 est.) | $308.3 billion (2013 est.) | $310.5 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 52

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 48.2% | government consumption: 19.2% | investment in fixed capital: 25% | investment in inventories: 0.4% | exports of goods and services: 84.5% | imports of goods and services: -77.2% | (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 2.6% | industry: 37.4% | services: 60% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$29,900 (2014 est.) | $29,300 (2013 est.) | $29,500 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 59

GDP - real growth rate

2% (2014 est.) | -0.7% (2013 est.) | -0.8% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 129

Gross national saving

25.9% of GDP (2014 est.) | 24.5% of GDP (2013 est.) | 24.8% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.5% | highest 10%: 29.1% (2012 est.)

Imports

$135.1 billion (2014 est.) | $126 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 33

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

Germany 30.2%, Poland 8.5%, Slovakia 6.8%, China 6.2%, Netherlands 5.7%, Austria 4.2% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

4% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72

Industries

motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass, armaments

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.4% (2014 est.) | 1.4% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 43

Labor force

5.416 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 2.6% | industry: 37.4% | services: 60% (2012)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$54.92 billion (30 December 3013 est.) | $59.88 billion (28 December 2012) | $53.2 billion (30 December 2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 51

Population below poverty line

8.6% (2012 est.)

Public debt

43.5% of GDP (2014 est.) | 45.7% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$59.15 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $56.22 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Stock of broad money

$152.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $155.7 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$22.38 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $21.38 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$140.5 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $136 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Stock of domestic credit

$131.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $137.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 48

Stock of narrow money

$126.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $126.4 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32

Taxes and other revenues

41% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Unemployment rate

7.9% (2014 est.) | 7.7% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 88

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

91.15 million Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Crude oil - exports

422.9 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70

Crude oil - imports

140,800 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 41

Crude oil - production

7,000 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 86

Crude oil - proved reserves

15 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 88

Electricity - consumption

70.45 billion kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39

Electricity - exports

27.46 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Electricity - from fossil fuels

63.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

5.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 127

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

19.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 10

Electricity - from other renewable sources

11.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 29

Electricity - imports

10.57 billion kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 21

Electricity - installed generating capacity

20.52 million kW (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 39

Electricity - production

81.71 billion kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Natural gas - consumption

8.477 billion cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 52

Natural gas - exports

8 million cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Natural gas - imports

8.479 billion cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 27

Natural gas - production

252 million cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 75

Natural gas - proved reserves

4.276 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Refined petroleum products - consumption

187,800 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

Refined petroleum products - exports

35,720 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

Refined petroleum products - imports

60,820 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 63

Refined petroleum products - production

166,300 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 60

Area

total: 78,867 sq km | land: 77,247 sq km | water: 1,620 sq km | country comparison to the world: 116

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Labe (Elbe) River 115 m | highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

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; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.7 cu km/yr (41%/56%/2%) | per capita: 164.7 cu m/yr (2009)

Geographic coordinates

49 45 N, 15 30 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

385.3 sq km (2007)

Land boundaries

total: 2,143 km | border countries (4): Austria 402 km, Germany 704 km, Poland 796 km, Slovakia 241 km

Land use

agricultural land: 54.8% | arable land 41%; permanent crops 1%; permanent pasture 12.8% | forest: 34.4% | other: 10.8% (2011 est.)

Location

Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber, arable land

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

Total renewable water resources

13.15 cu km (2011)

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)

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

Constitution

previous 1960; latest ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993; amended several times, last in 2013 (2013)

Country name

conventional long form: Czech Republic | conventional short form: Czech Republic | local long form: Ceska republika | local short form: Cesko

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew H. SCHAPIRO (since 30 September 2014) | embassy: Trziste 15, 118 01 Prague 1 - Mala Strana | mailing address: use embassy street address | telephone: [420] 257 022 000 | FAX: [420] 257 022 809

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Petr GANDALOVIC (since 23 May 2011) | chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 | FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 | consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Milos ZEMAN (since 8 March 2013) | head of government: Prime Minister Bohuslav SOBOTKA (since 17 January 2014); First Deputy Prime Minister Andrej BABIS and Deputy Prime Minister Pavel BELOBRADEK (both since 29 January 2014) | 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 11-12 January 2013 with a runoff on 25-26 January 2013 (next to be held in January 2018); prime minister appointed by the president for a 5-year term | election results: Milos ZEMAN elected president; percent of popular vote - Milos ZEMAN (SPO) 54.8%, Karel SCHWARZENBERG (TOP 09) 45.2%

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side | note: is identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

Government type

parliamentary democracy

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

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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 28 judges) | 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; judge term NA | subordinate courts: High Court; superior, regional, and district courts

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

Legislative branch

description: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in two-rounds if needed; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) | elections: Senate - last held in two rounds on 10-11 and 17-18 October 2014 (next to be held in October 2016); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 25-26 October 2013 (next to be held in 2017) | election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CSSD 33, ODS 14, KDU-CSL 11, ANO 4, SPO 2, Green 2, KSCM 1, S.cz 1, STAN 1, HOPB 1, SLK 1, independent 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 20.5%, ANO 2011 18.7%, KSCM 14.9%, TOP 09 12%, ODS 7.7%, Usvit 6.9%, KDU-CSL 6.8% other 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 50, ANO 2011 47, KSCM 33, TOP 09 26, ODS 16, Usvit 14, KDU-CSL 14

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 holiday

Czechoslovak Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

National symbol(s)

double-tailed lion; national colors: white, red, blue

Political parties and leaders

parties in parliament: Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Pavel BELOBRADEK] | Citizens for Budejovice or HOPB [Juraj THOMA] | Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Petr FIALA] | Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP] | Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Bohuslav SOBOTKA] | Dawn of Direct Democracy or Usvit [Tomio OKAMURA] | Green Party or SZ [Jana DRAPALOVA] | Mayors and Independents or STAN [Martin PUTA] | Mayors for Liberec Region or SLK [Marek PIETER] | Movement of Dissatisfied Citizens or ANO [Andrej BABIS] | North Bohemians or S.cz [Bronislav SCHWARZ] | Party of Civic Rights or SPO [Jan VELEBA] | Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 or TOP 09 [Karel SCHWARZENBERG] | parties outside parliament: Czech Pirate Party [Lukas CERNOHORSKY] | Free Citizens Party or Svobodni [Petr MACH] | Liberal Reform Party or Ostravak [Eva SCHWARZOVA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Josef STREDULA]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. 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 the Czech Republic, 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. In 1968, an invasion by 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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,506,826 | females age 16-49: 2,407,634 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 2,072,267 | females age 16-49: 1,988,839 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 49,999 | female: 47,501 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Army of the Czech Republic (Armada Ceske Republiky): General Staff (Generalni Stab; includes Land Forces (Pozemni Sily) and Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily)) (2015)

Military expenditures

1.04% of GDP (2015) | 1.08% of GDP (2014) | 1.06% of GDP (2013) | 1.13% of GDP (2012) | 1.15% of GDP (2011) | country comparison to the world: 94

Military service age and obligation

18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 15% (male 819,864/female 776,639) | 15-24 years: 10.23% (male 559,108/female 529,598) | 25-54 years: 43.7% (male 2,387,303/female 2,264,774) | 55-64 years: 13.06% (male 673,060/female 717,296) | 65 years and over: 18.01% (male 791,823/female 1,125,377) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

9.63 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 202

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2% (2007) | country comparison to the world: 122

Contraceptive prevalence rate

86.3% | note: percent of women aged 18-49 (2008)

Death rate

10.34 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 49.5% | youth dependency ratio: 22.5% | elderly dependency ratio: 27% | potential support ratio: 3.7% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 100% of population | rural: 100% of population | total: 100% of population | urban: 0% of population | rural: 0% of population | total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

4.5% of GDP (2011) | country comparison to the world: 106

Ethnic groups

Czech 64.3%, Moravian 5%, Slovak 1.4%, other 1.8%, unspecified 27.5% (2011 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.05% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 100 (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

3,400 (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 111

Health expenditures

7.2% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 63

Hospital bed density

6.8 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate

total: 2.63 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 2.76 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 2.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 216

Languages

Czech (official) 95.4%, Slovak 1.6%, other 3% (2011 census)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.48 years | male: 75.5 years | female: 81.62 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Literacy

definition: NA | total population: 99% | male: 99% | female: 99% (2011 est.)

Major urban areas - population

PRAGUE (capital) 1.314 million (2015)

Median age

total: 41.3 years | male: 40 years | female: 42.6 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

noun: Czech(s) | adjective: Czech

Net migration rate

2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 43

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

29.1% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 21

Physicians density

3.71 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

10,644,842 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Population growth rate

0.16% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185

Religions

Roman Catholic 10.4%, Protestant (includes Czech Brethren and Hussite) 1.1%, other and unspecified 54%, none 34.5% (2011 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 99.1% of population | rural: 99.2% of population | total: 99.1% of population | urban: 0.9% of population | rural: 0.8% of population | total: 0.9% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 16 years | male: 16 years | female: 17 years (2012)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female | total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.44 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 19.5% | male: 19.9% | female: 19% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 57

Urbanization

urban population: 73% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 0.35% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the popular Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closes its controversial Soviet-style nuclear plant in Temelin, bordering Austria

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime; significant consumer of ecstasy (2008)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

stateless persons: 1,502 (2014)

Airports

128 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 46

Airports - with paved runways

total: 41 | over 3,047 m: 2 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 | 914 to 1,523 m: 2 | under 914 m: 16 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 87 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 25 | 61 (2013)

Heliports

1 (2013)

Merchant marine

registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 150

Pipelines

gas 7,160 km; oil 536 km; refined products 94 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

river port(s): Prague (Vltava); Decin, Usti nad Labem (Elbe)

Railways

total: 9,621.5 km | standard gauge: 9,519.5 km 1.435-m gauge (3,240.5 km electrified) | narrow gauge: 102 km 0.760-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 23

Roadways

total: 130,671 km (includes urban roads) | paved: 130,671 km (includes 730 km of expressways) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 38

Waterways

664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 76