Become a member

REVEALED: The worrying link between migration and poverty in Czechia

Czechia’s migrant population is growing, but foreigners are more at risk of struggling to make ends meet.

William Nattrass

Written by William Nattrass Published on 02.11.2026 09:11:00 (updated on 02.11.2026) Reading time: 5 minutes

Expat Life
Shutterstock via Gonzalo Bell
Shutterstock via Gonzalo Bell

Foreigners play a growing role in Czech society. Around one-tenth of the country’s population are now foreign, while one in four children born in Prague are not Czech citizens. Migrants have become vital for the Czech economy, but a new study has shown that they are also at higher risk of poverty than Czech natives.

Official figures cited by Poverty Watch 2026 found that 18 percent of migrants are at risk of poverty. With 1.15 million foreigners in Czechia, that’s roughly 210,000 who are faced with potentially dire economic circumstances. Out of the 210,000 foreigners at risk of poverty, 180,000 come from third countries, with 30,000 coming from within the EU.

FOR OUR MEMBERS

Shutterstock via Gonzalo Bell

REVEALED: The worrying link between migration and poverty in Czechia

Yet the creators of the Poverty Watch survey believe these figures to be an underestimate.

"We estimate that more than a third of migrants find themselves in relative income poverty. This situation affects EU citizens to a lesser extent at around 26 percent, while it affects 40 percent of migrants from third countries. The most vulnerable group are refugees from Ukraine," the report says.

Politics & Society Work & Career Money & Finance Relocation Real Estate Legal & Law #For members
Want to see more from us? Select Expats.cz as a preferred source on Google.

Related articles

Advertisement Mortgages 2 Category Banner

Partner articles

FEATURED JOBS

View all jobs

TRENDING ARTICLES

POPULAR ARTICLES