- English
- Français
- Deutsch
- Pусский
Czech Republic
Facts and figures
Czechoslovakia regained independence in 1991, and split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993.
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country with a total land area of 78 866 km2 strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe. The population was 10.381 millions in 2007.
The Czech Republic is a multiparty parliamentary democracy headed by a president (elected for five – year term). The constitution provides for a bicameral parliament, which is responsible for final decision-making to approve new legislation (constitution, laws, acts, etc.) proposed by the Czech Government. The 200 members of the House of Representatives are elected for a four-year term, while the 81 members of the Senate are elected for a six-year term. The administrative structure of Czech Republic includes 14 self-governed regions, 76 administrative districts and the capital city (Praha).
The Czech Republic has been a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since December 1995 and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since February 1999. Joining the European Union in 2004 was a strong incentive for change and considerable progress at country level.
Health
The main health indicators reflect the Republic’s position as one of the healthiest of the central and eastern European countries (CEE) (see table).
The Czech Republic has ageing population, but standard health indicators such as infant mortality – decreased to 3.1 per mille in 2007 (one of the lowest in Europe) and life expectancy – place the Czech republic well ahead all of east European countries (along with Slovenia) and only marginally behind western Europe.
It also shares its disease profile with western market economies, with circulatory diseases as the number one source of premature death and rapidly rising cancer rates. Diseases of the circulatory system (especially ischaemic heart disease) remain by far the most important causes of death in both men and women, although this has decreased in recent years.
Table 1. Selected statistics: Czech Republic
| Indicator | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Total population | 2007 | 10 381 130 |
| % of population under 15 years of age | 2007 | 14.2 |
| Life expectancy at birth, in years | 2007 | 76.8 |
| Under-5 mortality rate per 1000 live births | 2007 | 3.86 |
| Maternal mortality per 100 000 live births | 2007 | 2.62 |
| Standardized death rate (SDR), all causes, all ages, per 100 000 | 2007 | 767.5 |
| SDR, diseases of circulatory system, all ages per 100 000 | 2007 | 370.7 |
| SDR, malignancies, all ages per 100 000 | 2007 | 204.2 |
| Hospital beds per 100 000 | 2007 | 810.5 |
| Physicians per 100 000 | 2007 | 356.6 |
| Total health expenditure as% of gross domestic product (GDP) | 2007 | 6.7 |
| Total health expenditure, US$ (PPP) per capita | 2007 | 1338 |