Trends in fertility and abortion in Czechia.

Abstract

The assessment of the development of fertility and abortion rates over the last three decades shows that Czechia has reached the top position in Europe with a total fertility rate of 1.83 children per woman in 2021. The postponement of fertility to women's older age, which was behind the sharp drop in fertility to 1.1, has been gradually slowed down and halted between 2015 and 2021. In recent years, there has been an increase in fertility rates for women aged 30 and older as well as a balanced increase for women under 30. In the European context Czechia has maintained its position as a country with lower rates of reproductive ageing. The favourable demographic position of Czechia among European countries is also illustrated by the relatively low level of the abortion rate. The postponement of female fertility to older ages has not been accompanied by an increase in the abortion rate among young women, but on the contrary a decline in fertility has been accompanied by a decline in the abortion rate. Given the year-on-year increase in total fertility (from 1.71 in 2020 to 1.83 in 2021), the initial effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on fertility can be assessed positively. However, the subsequent decline to 1.62 in 2022 is already the result of a combination of adverse effects stemming from the consequences of antipandemic measures and worsening economic conditions, to which new security risks associated with the war in Ukraine have subsequently been added. This has created the conditions for a further postponement of fertility until women are older.