Overview

The Czech Republic is a small, advanced country (population 10.6 million) located in the heart of Europe with a long industrial tradition and a relatively decentralized administration including 14 regions and over 6 000 municipalities. The population is linguistically homogenous; the official language is Czech. National minorities are not numerous. Religious faith is traditionally low, only some 20 % of the population is religious. Unemployment is among the lowest in Europe in recent years (in the third quarter of 2021 the unemployment rate was 2.7 %).

The country has an exceptionally long tradition of having high educational status in the broadest strata of the population; more than 94 % of adults aged 25–64 years have at least upper secondary education (2020).  Total fertility rate has been around 1.7 in recent years. Education system is characterised by a relative high autonomy of schools at all educational levels. The total public expenditure on education as a share of GDP is currently 4,6 % (2020). 

Sources: Eurostat Database Websites, Projection of total public expenditure on education, Websites of the Czech Statistical Office, Yearbook of Trends. Education in the Czech Republic