The Czech Republic’s aging index—the number of people over 65 compared with children under 15—keeps growing.

According to the Czech Statistical Office (CSO), there were 133 seniors per 100 children in 2023, four more than in 2022 and ten more than in 2018.

The last time Czechia had more children than seniors was in 2005. At that time, the country counted just over 1.5 million children under 15—about 36,000 more than people over 65.

A year later, the groups were equal in size. Since 2007, the balance has shifted in favor of the elderly. By 2023, the country had nearly 2.3 million people over 65 compared with just under 1.7 million children.

Regional Differences

The most favorable ratio was recorded in the Central Bohemian Region, with 109 seniors per 100 children, followed by Prague with around 120.

At the other end of the scale was the Karlovy Vary Region, where there were 152 seniors for every 100 children. More than 150 seniors per 100 children were also counted in the Hradec Králové and Zlín regions.

Why the Index is Rising

Experts note that the index has been growing since the mid-1980s and will continue to rise faster than in previous decades. The reasons are clear: low birth rates, increasing life expectancy, and the gradual aging of the “Husák children” generation, born during the 1970s population boom.

Projections suggest that by the second half of this century, there could be 2.5 times more seniors than children. According to early forecasts, the index could peak in 2063 at 277 elderly per 100 children.

Life expectancy in Czechia was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping sharply in 2021. Since then, it has recovered and last year surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

A 65-year-old woman could expect to live another 20.8 years in 2023, while a man of the same age had an average of 17 years ahead of him.

Regional differences remain stark. In Prague, women at 65 could expect 21.6 more years, and men 17.9.

In Ústí nad Labem, however, women’s life expectancy was just 19.1 years and men’s only 15.5—a gap of 2.5 years compared with the capital. The difference between Prague’s women and Ústí’s men was even wider: about six years.

Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more