Population, Mid-Year 2019: 10,689,000
Projected Population Mid-Year 2030: 10,745,000
Percentage of Population Under Age 25 Years, Mid-Year 2019: 25%
Percentage of Population 65 Years Or Over, Mid-Year 2019: 20%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER.A/424).

Percent of Adults Aged 65 Years and Over Reporting To Be In Fair, Poor, or Very Poor Health (2019): 72.4%
People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population (2021): 11.2%
Projected Number of People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population in 2050: 19.2%
Long-Term Care Workers Per 100 People Aged 65 And Over (2019): 4
Long-Term Care Beds In Institutions and Hospitals Per 1,000 Population Aged 65 And Over (2019): 45.6
Long-Term Care Expenditure as a Share of GDP (%) (2019): 1.5%

Source: OECD (2021), Health at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ae3016b9-en.

Long-Term Care Recipients In Institutions Other Than Hospitals (2020): 63,912
Long-Term Care Recipients At Home (2020): 296,627

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD.Stat. Last accessed Nov. 13, 2022.

“In the Czech Republic long-term care for older or disabled people or those with chronic diseases is still provided in two overlapping settings with different systems of organization and funding. Before 2007 residential long-term care facilities and other social services were financed primarily from the central, regional and municipal budgets, whereas health-care facilities providing long-term inpatient care (nursing beds – see above for the development in terms of capacity) were financed primarily through the SHI [Statutory Health Insurance] system. This split led to frequent complications in the organization and provision of services. In an attempt to remedy this situation, law-makers passed the 2006 Act on Social Services, which came into effect in 2007. The principal aim of the legislation was to support free choice of social services by providing individuals, rather than institutions, with a care allowance. It also introduced a funding mechanism that permitted (a) health-care facilities to finance some forms of social care from the state or regional budgets; and (b) social care facilities to finance some services through contracts with the health insurance funds. Finally, the legislation also provided for a new system to evaluate long-term social care facilities according to the quality of their services, the education of their staff, ethical issues and client involvement. A facility must receive a positive evaluation to obtain funding from the state budget. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MSLA) sets standards and regional job offices (which are subordinate to the MLSA) conduct evaluations. Controls consist of on-site visits to assess quality of services and fulfilment of formal requirements.

“The introduction of individual-oriented care allowances was met with some controversy, because it generally resulted in lower budgets for established care institutions and made way for informal carers. There is a sentiment of gradually increasing acceptance. In 2012 there were 312 440 individuals receiving care allowances amounting to a total of CZK 18.39 billion (€0.75 billion) (Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, 2013). A patient wishing to receive a care allowance must complete an examination process conducted by the Czech Social Security Administration (including an assessment of health status). Depending on health status (and age), the patient may then be eligible for a monthly allowance ranging from CZK 800 (€29.20) to CZK 12 000 (€438).”

Source: Alexa J, Rečka L, Votápková J, van Ginneken E, Spranger A, Wittenbecher F. Czech Republic: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(1):1–165.

“The introduction of individual-oriented care allowances was met with some controversy, because it generally resulted in lower budgets for established care institutions and made way for informal carers. There is a sentiment of gradually increasing acceptance. In 2012 there were 312 440 individuals receiving care allowances amounting to a total of CZK 18.39 billion (€0.75 billion) (Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, 2013). A patient wishing to receive a care allowance must complete an examination process conducted by the Czech Social Security Administration (including an assessment of health status). Depending on health status (and age), the patient may then be eligible for a monthly allowance ranging from CZK 800 (€29.20) to CZK 12 000 (€438).

“Anecdotal evidence suggests that residential long-term social care facilities for the elderly within the price range available for most of the population in the Czech Republic have long waiting lists. This lack of capacity in the social care system has led to a bottleneck in hospitals offering long-term inpatient care, as a large number of hospital stays have been lengthened beyond medical necessity. As for the capacities of these services, in 2012 the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs recorded 13,820 beds in facilities for the disabled and 37,477 beds in residential social long-term care for the elderly (Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, 2013).”

Source: Alexa J, Rečka L, Votápková J, van Ginneken E, Spranger A, Wittenbecher F. Czech Republic: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(1):1–165.

Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated Nov. 13, 2022 by Doug McVay, Editor.