Czech Republic

THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN nation of Czechoslovakia was formed after World War I when the Czechs and the Slovaks, both of whom had been part of the Aus-tro-Hungarian Empire, united as one nation. After losing territory in the aftermath of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a satellite of the Soviet Union. Subsequently, an attempt to liberalize communism within the country failed. Czechoslovakia achieved independence through the Velvet Revolution after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1993, the Czechs and Slovakians agreed to a “velvet divorce” that resulted in the formation of the Czech and Slovak Republics as separate entities. Subsequent reforms led to Czech membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

The posttransition economy of the Czech Republic is one of the most stable and most prosperous of all former communist countries in Europe. Despite vast improvements and a diversified economy, the Czech Republic is facing an unemployment rate of 10.6 percent. The decline in employment has forced a number of families to turn to the government for social benefits. This is particularly true in families with several children and in those headed by single parents. Some people feel that most so-called poverty in the Czech Republic is more a matter of comparative lifestyles than an absence of basic necessities.

When asked to classify themselves, 25 to 35 percent of all Czechs feel they are poor even though their incomes are above subsistence level. These views are partially a result of the fact that the poorest 20 percent of Czechs live on 10.3 percent of available resources while the richest 20 percent claim 35.9 percent. The Czech Republic is ranked 22.4 percent on the Gini Index of Human Inequality.

The projected life span in the Czech Republic has been steadily increasing since the 1980s. The current population of 10,241,138 enjoys a life expectancy of 76.02 years. Generally, females outlive males by six or seven years. The median age is 38.97 years. Less than 15 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and over 14 percent have seen a 65th birthday. All Czechs have access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. There are 342 physicians for every 100,000 residents, and 80 to 94 percent have access to affordable essential drugs.

Childhood mortality is extremely low in the Czech Republic, with 3.93 deaths occurring out of every 1,000 live births. Among children under the age of 5, the mortality rate is five deaths per 1,000. In the 1970s, the mortality rate of infants was 21 per 1,000 live births, and the mortality rate of under-5s was 24 deaths per 1,000. Overall, Czech children are healthy, and only one percent of children under the age of 5 are underweight. Seven percent of infants are underweight at birth. Two percent of all under-5s suffer from moderate to severe stunting and two percent suffer from moderate to severe wasting. Nearly all children in the appropriate age groups are immunized in the Czech Republic, with immunization rates in the high 90s.

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