The Prague Institute of Planning and Development published a study according to which people without Czech citizenship make up a quarter of Prague's residents and could number more than 600 thousand by 2050.
The Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) published in October 2026 a study on the capital's so-called international residents. According to it, their number has risen almost sixfold over the past twenty years and they now make up a quarter of all residents of Prague. Between 2001 and 2024 it grew from 61 thousand to 354 thousand people, and by 2050 there could be more than 600 thousand. The number of residents with Czech citizenship has long stagnated or fallen slightly; without growth from abroad, Prague would, according to IPR spokeswoman Anna Klímová, lose residents in the long term.[1][2][3]
The largest group are citizens of Ukraine, whose number rose to 168 thousand in 2022 after the start of the Russian invasion. At the end of 2024 they accounted for almost half of all foreigners in Prague. The share of foreigners from Slovakia is about 9 percent, from Russia 7 percent and from Vietnam 4.5 percent.[1][2][3]
The average age of foreigners is about 35.5 years, while the whole Prague population averages almost 42 years. According to the study's authors, they therefore help to rejuvenate the city and to strengthen the working-age population. IPR director Ondřej Boháč said that today's arrivals will gradually grow old in Prague and that the key challenge is to plan housing, schools, services and infrastructure so that the city remains functional and cohesive for all its residents.[1][2][3]
According to the study, most international residents live dispersed across the whole city, and the overall level of residential segregation remains low. Higher concentrations appear, for example, in the centre, in parts of the inner city, in areas with new housing construction, in selected housing estates or in industrial areas with hostels. Relatively higher segregation is visible among foreigners from Vietnam and Russia, lower among citizens of Slovakia and Ukraine.[2][3] According to Novinky, the study states that Prague faces no direct threat of ghettos forming, and recommends, among other things, teaching newcomers Czech.[2]
Petr Hlaváček (STAN), Deputy Mayor of Prague for spatial and strategic development, said that international residents are an important part of the Prague economy and work in highly qualified professions as well as in sectors such as construction, trade, services, gastronomy or administration.[1][2][3]
Chronology
- — The Prague Institute of Planning and Development published a study showing that foreigners make up a quarter of Prague's population and their number could exceed 600,000 by 2050. Pražský patriot Novinky.cz
Sources
- Pražský patriot — 27 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 27 October 2026
- Pražský deník — 27 October 2026