Birth rate falls slightly after seven years of increases

After seven years of increases in the birth-rate, there was a fall in the number of children born in the Czech Republic in the first half of 2009. According to official figures released on Friday, 58,000 babies were born between the start of January and the end of June, 1,600 fewer than in the same period last year. The total population of the Czech Republic grew by over 20,000 to just under 10.5 million in the first half of 2009.