Czech Republic flag Czech Republic: Economic outline

Economic Outline

Economic Indicators

Covid-19 weighed on the fundamentals of the Czech economy that had supported growth: domestic demand, tax, revenues and exports. To date, the Czech Republic is the only European Union country with economic performance below 2019 levels. After growing by 2.3% in 2022, GDP stagnated in 2023 (+0.2%), as high inflation and stringent financial conditions resulted in a reduction of real household income and a rise in precautionary savings, thereby suppressing private consumption. Net exports, buoyed by reduced imports of energy and the reduction of accumulated inventories, made a positive contribution. According to the IMF, growth is set to gradually pick up in 2024 (2.3%) and 2025 (2.9%), fueled by decreasing inflation, which boosts real disposable income. Furthermore, the gradual easing of financing conditions and a high savings rate are poised to provide additional support for consumption. Conversely, the implementation of a fiscal consolidation package and the conclusion of energy-related measures are projected to exert a contractionary influence.

In 2023, the budget deficit remained stable at 3.8% of GDP, driven by expenditures outpacing GDP growth, attributed to the automatic indexation of pensions to inflation and initiatives aimed at alleviating the effects of elevated energy prices: the total net budgetary cost of these energy-related measures was estimated to amount to 1.2% of GDP. The projected scenario indicates a decline in the budget deficit to 2.2% of GDP in 2024 (IMF), due to the expiration of measures aimed at alleviating the impact of elevated energy prices, coupled with the government's implementation of a consolidation package. Public debt is still low compared to the EU average despite its high pace of growth in 2020-2022. The public debt-to-GDP ratio increased from 44.2% in 2022 to 45.4% last year but is expected to resume a downward trend over the forecast horizon (to around 44% by 2025 – IMF). Following a peak in headline inflation at 18% in the first quarter of 2023, the rate has substantially decreased, primarily influenced by a reduced growth rate in energy and food prices. The overall inflation rate was estimated at 10.9% in 2023 by the IMF. Due to salary hikes, inflation, excluding unprocessed food and energy, is anticipated to decrease at a rate less pronounced than headline inflation but is expected to stay at a moderate level.

Czechia has a tight labour market and a low share of temporary contracts, with one of the lowest ratios of unemployment in Europe, at 2.8% in 2023 (from 2.1% one year earlier). Market conditions may get tighter as Ukrainian refugees join the labour market, but the unemployment rate is expected to remain low this year and the next (2.6% and 2.3%, respectively - IMF). The IMF estimated the country’s GDP per capita (PPP) at USD 49,025 in 2023, 14% below the EU average, although nominal wage growth lagged behind inflation last year, reducing real disposable income.  

 
Main Indicators 20222023 (E)2024 (E)2025 (E)2026 (E)
GDP (billions USD) 290.57332.03325.88337.53351.16
GDP (Constant Prices, Annual % Change) 2.3-0.40.72.02.1
GDP per Capita (USD) 26,83630,60029,80130,95632,303
General Government Balance (in % of GDP) -3.4-3.1-1.8-1.7-1.5
General Government Gross Debt (in % of GDP) 44.244.245.145.245.1
Inflation Rate (%) 15.110.72.12.02.0
Unemployment Rate (% of the Labour Force) 2.22.62.62.52.4
Current Account (billions USD) -17.784.051.833.363.92
Current Account (in % of GDP) -6.11.20.61.01.1

Source: IMF – World Economic Outlook Database, 2016

Note: (e) Estimated Data

 
Monetary Indicators 20162017201820192020
Czech Crown (CZK) - Average Annual Exchange Rate For 1 GBP 33.0030.0928.9928.6329.76

Source: World Bank, 2015

 

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Latest Update: July 2024