Czechs Are Flocking to the Prague and Brno Areas, While Moravia and Silesia Empty Out

Since the early 2000s, Czechs in search of jobs and housing have been moving en masse to the outskirts of Prague and Brno, while regions in Moravia and Silesia are rapidly losing population. This is according to data from the Czech Statistical Office.

"People of working age are moving to where there are enough well-paid jobs," confirmed demographer Tomáš Fiala from the University of Economics in Prague.

Prague and Its Surroundings Break Records

Since the turn of the century, the Central Bohemian Region has gained 381,000 residents, 375,000 of them through migration. Prague itself has grown by 335,000 people, 317,000 of whom are newcomers, mostly foreigners. The South Moravian Region, home to Brno, has gained more than 100,000 new residents, again mostly migrants.

"I never had job offers like the ones in Prague back in Ostrava," said 30-year-old František Horvát, who recently moved to the capital. A trained filmmaker, he was unable to find work in his field in Ostrava.

Moravia and Silesia Are Losing People

The Moravian-Silesian Region, by contrast, has lost 71,000 residents, 23,000 of them due to migration. While new houses and entire neighborhoods are being built around Prague and Brno, parts of Moravia and Silesia are seeing their young population steadily shrink. Since 2022, the statistics have also been affected by the influx of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. The Czech Republic's total population currently stands at nearly 11 million.

Prague remains the main magnet, but housing in the capital is too expensive for many. "That's why a lot of people looking for work in Prague end up moving to the Central Bohemian Region instead," Fiala explained. Transport links also play a role: commuting to work from the areas surrounding the capital is convenient, and apartments or houses there tend to be cheaper.

A similar pattern is unfolding around Brno. People are also actively searching for housing near other major cities — the trend is noticeable in the Plzeň Region, and in the Pardubice Region, where the population is naturally declining, newcomers are helping offset the loss. Good rail connections to Prague are a boon for the region as well.

From Villages Back to the Cities

At the turn of the millennium, demographic data showed people moving from big cities to the countryside. In recent years, however, the trend has reversed, with people moving back closer to major urban centers. For these metropolitan areas, this creates serious challenges — housing, schools and public transport all need to keep up.

Take the town of Úvaly, east of Prague. "The main draw is proximity to the capital. For those who move here, the deciding factor is usually the connection to Prague, where they work. It's just 25 minutes by train to the city center," said the town's mayor, Markéta Rydvalová.

As new residents arrive, demand for public services grows too. Over the past 18 years, the Central Bohemian Region has added more than 200 new kindergartens.

"Since 2010, the Central Bohemian Region has been the region with the largest population for sixteen years running," noted Jiří Frélich, a spokesperson for the Czech Statistical Office. As recently as 2001, the Moravian-Silesian Region had 138,000 more residents than Central Bohemia — last year, the situation was exactly reversed, with Central Bohemia surpassing it by 301,000 residents.

Read also: Rental scams in Prague: how to spot fraud

Source: novinky.cz