The Czech Ministry of the Interior’s quarterly migration bulletin, released on 15 November 2025, confirms that the country now hosts a record 1,107,403 legally-resident foreigners. That is 15,994 more than three months ago and more than 28,000 year-on-year. The figures mean that 10.2 % of the Czech population is now foreign-born, or roughly 102 residents per 1,000 inhabitants.
Behind the headline number lies a profound reshaping of Czech society and its labour market. Over half of all foreign residents—593,922 people—are Ukrainian nationals benefitting from the EU-wide Temporary Protection Directive activated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Temporary-protection holders (389,309 people) now make up more than one-third of all foreign residents. The report also notes 327,214 holders of temporary residence permits and 390,880 permanent-residence holders.
![Czech Republic Tops 1.1 Million Foreign Residents as Ukrainian Protection Scheme Expands]()
Prague remains the primary magnet, accounting for 32.5 % of all foreigners, followed by the Central Bohemian Region (14.5 %). At the other end of the scale, Zlín hosts just 2.4 % of its population as foreign nationals. Besides Ukrainians, the largest communities are Slovaks (124,470), Vietnamese (69,413) and Russians (37,631). The data confirm the growing importance of third-country nationals (79 % of the total), underlining companies’ reliance on non-EU labour to fill manufacturing, logistics and IT positions.
For employers, the statistics have two immediate implications. First, the pool of potential recruits with full labour-market access under temporary protection is expanding, easing shortages in entry-level and semi-skilled roles. Second, the steady increase in permanent residents—nearly 391,000—signals that migrant integration is becoming a long-term policy priority. HR teams should therefore prepare for tighter labour-law enforcement (new pre-employment reporting rules came into force on 1 October) and rising compliance audits.
From a public-policy perspective, the numbers will feed into Prague’s negotiations with Brussels over relief from upcoming "solidarity contributions" under the EU migration pact. The government argues that hosting one of the Union’s largest refugee populations should exempt it from extra payments—an argument likely to gain traction given the latest data.
Behind the headline number lies a profound reshaping of Czech society and its labour market. Over half of all foreign residents—593,922 people—are Ukrainian nationals benefitting from the EU-wide Temporary Protection Directive activated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Temporary-protection holders (389,309 people) now make up more than one-third of all foreign residents. The report also notes 327,214 holders of temporary residence permits and 390,880 permanent-residence holders.
Prague remains the primary magnet, accounting for 32.5 % of all foreigners, followed by the Central Bohemian Region (14.5 %). At the other end of the scale, Zlín hosts just 2.4 % of its population as foreign nationals. Besides Ukrainians, the largest communities are Slovaks (124,470), Vietnamese (69,413) and Russians (37,631). The data confirm the growing importance of third-country nationals (79 % of the total), underlining companies’ reliance on non-EU labour to fill manufacturing, logistics and IT positions.
For employers, the statistics have two immediate implications. First, the pool of potential recruits with full labour-market access under temporary protection is expanding, easing shortages in entry-level and semi-skilled roles. Second, the steady increase in permanent residents—nearly 391,000—signals that migrant integration is becoming a long-term policy priority. HR teams should therefore prepare for tighter labour-law enforcement (new pre-employment reporting rules came into force on 1 October) and rising compliance audits.
From a public-policy perspective, the numbers will feed into Prague’s negotiations with Brussels over relief from upcoming "solidarity contributions" under the EU migration pact. The government argues that hosting one of the Union’s largest refugee populations should exempt it from extra payments—an argument likely to gain traction given the latest data.
