Czech population mark surpasses 10.3 million for first time since 1997

The number of inhabitants of the Czech Republic rose by 19,500 in the first quarter of 2007, crossing the 10.3 million mark for the first time since 1997. The information was released by the Czech Statistical Office on Thursday. As of March 31st this year the Czech Republic had 10,306,700 inhabitants. The increase is mainly due to foreign migration - with the biggest numbers of people coming from Ukraine, Vietnam, and neighbouring Slovakia - but the country has also registered natural growth due to a rise in the fertility rate and a low death rate. The number of children is the highest since 1995, the office has revealed, and the Czech population has been rising for its fifth consecutive year.