More Than 1.13 Million Foreigners Currently Live Officially in the Czech Republic

The number of foreigners living in the Czech Republic has continued to rise. At the end of 2025, more than 1.13 million foreign nationals were registered. Ukrainian nationals remain the largest group.

As of 31 December 2025, a total of 1,131,197 foreign nationals were registered in the Czech Republic. Of these, 343,876 were residing in the country with a temporary residence permit, 394,265 held a permanent residence permit, and a further 393,056 were registered under the temporary protection scheme. This information comes from the quarterly migration report of the Czech Ministry of the Interior.

The significant increase in the number of foreign nationals is still largely due to the granting of temporary protection to Ukrainian war refugees. Among foreigners legally residing in the Czech Republic, nationals from third countries make up by far the largest share, with 894,607 people (79 per cent). Citizens of EU and EEA states, as well as Switzerland, account for around 21 per cent, with 236,590 people.

Statistically, this corresponds to 103.8 foreign nationals per 1,000 inhabitants, equivalent to a population share of 10.38 per cent. Compared with the previous quarter, the number of registered foreigners rose by 2.15 per cent (23,794 people) and by 37,108 people, or 3.4 per cent, year-on-year.

The largest group by far continues to be Ukrainian nationals (612,953 people | 54.2 per cent), who at the end of December 2025 made up more than half of all registered foreigners in the Czech Republic. Women accounted for 47.8 per cent of foreigners with a residence permit.

Regionally, the foreign population is concentrated mainly in Prague: in the capital, registered foreigners accounted for 32.4 per cent. This is followed by the Central Bohemian Region with 14.5 per cent. The lowest concentration is in the Zlín Region, where only 2.4 per cent of all registered foreigners live.

Illegal Migration

Last year, the Czech Republic saw a 14.6 per cent increase in illegal migration. A total of 10,838 people were registered in connection with illegal migration. This rise was largely due to cases of illegal residence, which increased by 1,279. In addition, the number of people detected during unauthorised entry across the external Schengen border rose by 98.

The most affected nationals were from Ukraine, Moldova, and Vietnam. These three groups together accounted for 64.2 per cent of all recorded cases.

By contrast, transitory illegal migration declined by 64.8 per cent. This trend is linked to the reduced migration pressure along the Western Balkan route.

New Entry and Exit System (EES)

On 12 October, the European Entry/Exit System (EES) was launched. The system is aimed at nationals from third countries entering the European Union for a short stay. It replaces the previous manual stamping of passports and is intended to digitalise border controls.

The EES is used at the external Schengen borders. In the Czech Republic, this applies exclusively to international airports.

Top 10 nationalities of foreigners legally living in the Czech Republic (Q4 2025)

1. Ukraine: 612,953 – 54.2%

2. Slovakia: 125,280 – 11.1%

3. Vietnam: 69,685 – 6.2%

4. Russia: 37,524 – 3.3%

5. Romania: 21,287 – 1.9%

6. Poland: 17,631 – 1.6%

7. Bulgaria: 17,562 – 1.6%

8. Mongolia: 14,908 – 1.3%

9. Philippines: 14,530 – 1.3%

10. Hungary: 12,111 – 1.1%