Around 1 million foreigners will live in Prague by 2050

According to a new analysis published by the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), the number of foreigners in the capital has skyrocketed by 450 percent since 2001. There are currently around 345,000 non-Czechs living in Prague, meaning that one in every fourth resident in the capital is a foreigner. In the next 25 years, Prague may get close to 1 million foreigners. 

The IPR's Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP) reported that the majority of foreigners come from Ukraine, Slovakia, Russia, and Vietnam, with a significant portion also arriving from Romania, Bulgaria, India, and the Philippines.

This influx of foreigners is mainly attributed to the appeal of work, study, and the high-quality urban environment that Prague offers. The IPR's director, Ondřej Boháč, explains that these newcomers are filling positions that lack interest among the Czech population, such as construction, cleaning services, and hospitality. 

As a result, these fields heavily rely on foreign employees. With very low unemployment in Prague, employers are actively seeking new workers in a competitive market, leading to the high number of new arrivals. 

Boháč also notes that the arrival of foreigners has helped to reduce the average age of Prague's population, which is currently at 44 years old. "The increase in the number of foreigners poses one of the main challenges for cities today. In Prague...foreigners with an average age of 40 significantly rejuvenate the city and provide a valuable workforce," he says. 

"However, we must also consider the growing number of foreign-born children and their needs in terms of school facilities,” Boháč added.

CAMP's analysis projects that by 2050, the number of foreign nationals in Prague's population will reach up to 920,000. This increase is expected to span across all age categories, with the most significant impact seen in the 50 and over age group.

The trend of a rising foreigner population in Prague is microcosmic of trends nationwide. According to data from the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), the number of legally residing foreigners in the country surged by 455,305 to reach 1.12 million people by end-2023. This is about 10 percent of the entire population.

Foreigners contribute massively to the workforce, too. The Labor Ministry says that around 900,000 foreigners were employed in the Czech Republic last year – almost one in three are Ukrainian.

The CZSO says that the share of foreign workers has been gradually increasing. In 2010, foreigners made up 5.5 percent of the workforce. By 2019, the share tripled to 15 percent. Last year, it was close to one-fifth.