The Czech Statistical Office has published the Statistical Yearbook of the Czech Republic 2024, marking the 32nd volume in an uninterrupted series since the founding of the independent state in 1993. However, the history of the yearbook dates back much further, continuing from the earlier Czechoslovak yearbooks. It provides detailed economic, demographic, and social data.
Last year, the standard of living in the Czech Republic edged closer to the EU average. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, expressed in purchasing power standards, increased by one percentage point to 91% of the EU average. As a result, the Czech Republic has caught up with Slovenia and now has the highest standard of living among the Visegrad Group (V4) countries.
Among the EU countries that joined since 2004, the Czech Republic ranks third, alongside Slovenia. Ahead of the Czech Republic are Cyprus, where the standard of living reached 95% of the EU average last year, and Malta, which is the only new member state to exceed the EU average, with a GDP per capita in purchasing power standards of 105%.
Bulgaria continues to have the lowest GDP per capita in purchasing power standards in the EU, standing at 64% of the EU average last year. Luxembourg has the highest standard of living, with a GDP per capita of 234% of the EU average in 2023.
The Czech economy contracted by 0.3% last year, making it one of eleven European countries to experience a year-on-year decline in GDP. Ireland recorded the sharpest decline, with a fall of 3.2%, followed by Estonia at 3%. Malta reported the fastest growth at 5.7%, with Croatia following at 3.1%.
The Czech Republic maintained its position as the country with the lowest unemployment rate last year. While the rate increased by 0.4 percentage points to 2.6%, it remained well below the European average of 6.7%. Poland recorded the second-lowest unemployment rate at 2.8%, while Spain continued to have the highest unemployment rate in the EU at 12.2%.
The population of the Czech Republic surpassed 10.9 million for the first time since the Second World War. The increase in immigration—94.7 thousand people—was the second-highest since 2022. Ukrainians dominated this increase (75.2 thousand), followed by Slovaks (5.6 thousand) and, for the first time, Filipinos (2.1 thousand) in third place. Additionally, the number of marriages fell by 12%, and with 91.1 thousand births, fewer than 100,000 children were born for the first time since 2005.
Further data, including information on the digital economy, research and development, education, and social security, can be found in the Statistical Yearbook of the Czech Republic (CZ), which is available to all users free of charge on the Czech Statistical Office website.
