Czechia

World Book Index

Introduction

Background
After World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia, but then split in 1993 in the nonviolent “velvet divorce.” The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004. The country added the short-form name Czechia in 2016.

Geography

Area
total : 78,867 sq km
land: 77,247 sq km
water: 1,620 sq km

Climate
temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

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

People and Society

Population
total: 10,837,890 (2024 est.)

Ethnic groups
Czech 57.3%, Moravian 3.4%, other 7.7%, unspecified 31.6% (2021 est.)

Languages
Czech (official) 88.4%, Slovak 1.5%, other 2.6%, unspecified 7.2% (2021 est.)

Religions
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.)

Population growth rate
0.04% (2024 est.)

Government

Government type
parliamentary republic

Capital
name: Prague

Executive branch
chief of state: President Petr PAVEL (since 9 March 2023)
head of government: Prime Minister Petr FIALA (since 17 December 2021)

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Miloslav STAŠEK (since 16 September 2022)

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires David WISNER (since June 2025)

Economy

Economic overview
high-income, diversified EU economy; manufacturing-oriented exporter led by automotive industry; moderate growth driven by household consumption and investments, despite negative contribution from net exports; tight labor market with low unemployment; gained energy independence from Russian oil in April 2025

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$521.928 billion (2024 est.)
$516.145 billion (2023 est.)
$516.431 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita
$48,000 (2024 est.)
$47,500 (2023 est.)
$48,400 (2022 est.)

Exports
$239.259 billion (2024 est.)
$236.103 billion (2023 est.)
$219.419 billion (2022 est.)

Exports - partners
Germany 29%, Slovakia 7%, Poland 6%, France 5%, UK 5% (2023)

Exports - commodities
cars, vehicle parts/accessories, broadcasting equipment, computers, plastic products (2023)

Imports
$216.741 billion (2024 est.)
$219.09 billion (2023 est.)
$216.042 billion (2022 est.)

Imports - partners
Germany 22%, China 17%, Poland 8%, Slovakia 5%, Italy 4% (2023)

Imports - commodities
broadcasting equipment, vehicle parts/accessories, cars, plastic products, computers (2023)

Human Development Index

The country's Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.915, ranking it 29th out of 193 countries tested. (more information)

World Happiness Report

The World Happiness Report ranked the country 10th out of 158 countries tested with a score of 7.06. (more information)