Czech census: 2 000 more people registered as Romani than 10 years ago

This year's census of people, houses and apartments, according to the Czech Statistical Office, has revealed some new trends that have developed in Czech society over the past 10 years. According to the first preliminary results, more people registered as Romani than previously, but only by a small percentage.

The census reports that the number of foreign nationals living long-term in the country is rapidly increasing. The numbers of both college students and uneducated persons are growing, marriage is declining, divorce is rising, and the ownership of apartments and the way they are heated has changed significantly. People are also protecting their privacy more than in the past. Large numbers took advantage of the option not to answer questions about their faith or nationality.

The census results must be viewed with great caution, as there is no guarantee that people gave truthful answers to the questions about their private lives. The fact that people are bothered by such questions is indicated by the fact that almost three million respondents refused to answer the question on nationality. Unequivocal conclusions, therefore, cannot be drawn from the census, only very approximate ones.

The Czech census question on nationality was optional. While in 2001 only 173 000 people did not want to mention their nationality, this year 2.74 million residents of the country took advantage of the opportunity not to answer the question.

A total of 13 150 residents reported Romani nationality. Only a comparatively small portion of those so responding listed only Romani nationality (5 199). Most respondents listed their Romani nationality in combination with another nationality, such as Czech or Moravian (7 951). During the census 10 years ago, a total of 11 746 people reported Romani nationality. At the time, that figure represented 0.1 % of all persons who listed a nationality. This year, 0.2 % of all persons who gave a nationality listed Romani nationality.

Most respondents giving a nationality listed Czech nationality (6 732 104). The second-highest nationality reported was Moravian (522 474). Slovak came in third place (149 140). Even though many people listed no nationality at all, the number of respondents espousing Moravian nationality significantly rose. In 2001, Moravian nationality was listed by 380 474 people, or 3.8 % of those who reported a nationality, compared to 6.7 % of those reporting a nationality this year. The largest number of people reporting Moravian nationality, almost 250 000, live in the South Moravian region.

The census indicates that this spring there were 10 562 214 inhabitants of the Czech Republic, 332 154 more than 10 years ago. The population growth is due not only to the rising birth rates of the past few years, but primarily to the immigration of foreigners. Compared to 10 years ago, there are 260.5 % more foreigners living in the country, a total number approximating half a million persons.

The most numerous group of foreigners in the Czech Republic, according to the census, is reportedly persons holding Ukrainian citizenship (117 810), followed by Slovak citizens (84 380), Vietnamese citizens (53 110), Russian citizens (36 055), German citizens (20 780) and Polish citizens (17 856). The census also showed that people from 182 different countries around the world reside in the Czech Republic.

Compared to 2001, there are 97 182 more Ukrainians, 60 179 more Slovaks, 34 900 more Vietnamese, 28 359 more Russians and 17 342 more Germans residing in the Czech Republic. Germans showed the most growth (by 504.4 %), followed by Ukrainians (by 471 %), Russians (by 368.5 %) and Slovaks (o 248.7 %). Most foreigners live in Prague, followed by the Karlovy Vary, Central Bohemian and Plzeň regions.

The Czech Republic is also said to be undergoing a rise in the number of people with college educations. While 10 years ago there were 762 459 such persons, this year's census reports 1 117 830 college graduates, a growth of 46.6 %. On the other hand, the number of persons who are completely uneducated has also risen, as has the number of those who have never attended school at all. Ten years ago there were 37 932 such persons, while this year there were 47 253, a rise of 24.6 %.

The census reportedly also confirms another recent trend, that of a growth in divorce and a reduction in the numbers of marriages. The number of divorced men has risen during the past 10 years by 37.7 %, while there are 10.4 % more single men than 10 years ago. The number of married men fell by 6.3 %. The number of divorced women rose since the last census by 33.4 %. There are 9.9 % more single women than 10 years ago. The number of married women fell by 7.1 %.