The Czech Republic

Wealth and National Well-Being

Country Comparisons: chart

World Factbook: "The Czech Republic is a stable and prosperous market economy, which harmonized its laws and regulations with those of the EU prior to its EU accession in 2004. While the conservative, inward-looking Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy, the small, open, export-driven Czech economy remains sensitive to changes in the economic performance of its main export markets, especially Germany."

Economc growth rate
2011: 1.8%
2010: 2.3%
2009: -4.7%

Unemployment rate
2011: 8.5%
2010: 9%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
1996: top ten percent of population, 22.4%; bottom ten percent, 4.3%

Public debt
2010: 40% of GDP
2009: 32.8% of GDP
2008: 26.8% of GDP

Income distribution – gini index
Ranks 112th among 140 countries (higher rank number is more equal, lower rank number is less equal). More equal than Britain, which ranks 94th, and the US, which ranks 45th.

Health expenditures
2009: 7.6% of GDP (compared to 16/2% for the US)

Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP
2007: 1.46%

People

Living in an urban area
2010: 74%
2008: 73%

Net migration rate
2012: A net gain of 0.97 persons per 1,000 population.

Ethnic groups
2001 census: Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4%

Religion
2001 census: Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59%

Geography

Central Europe, southeast of Germany. Landlocked.

Government

Václav Klaus, chief of state (president) since 7 March 2003, Civic Democratic Party, a center-right party. Petr Necas, head of government (prime minister), since 28 June 2010, leader of the Civic Democratic Party.

Parliamentary democracy. Capital: Prague,

Recent History

In 2004 Supermodel Petra Nemcova is injured during the tsunami in Thailand. She has Ingrid Bergman's charm and good diction – different from the impression one gathers from her pouting and narrowness of face in swimsuit photos.