Czech Republic birth rates hit historic lows amid legal barriers to IVF

Birth rates in the Czech Republic have reached their lowest levels since statistical tracking began in 1785. In 2025, only 77,636 children were born, representing a nearly one-third decline compared to 2021.

Medical professionals and industry groups, including the Association of Private Healthcare Providers (ASPZS), are calling for legislative reforms to address this demographic crisis. Current laws require a joint written application from both a woman and a man for assisted reproduction, effectively preventing single women from accessing IVF services at domestic clinics. This legal barrier has led some women to seek unregulated sperm donations online or travel abroad for treatment.

Šimon Toman, president of the ASPZS, emphasized that reproductive medicine should be integrated into general healthcare. He noted that while medical assistance accounted for 6.3% of births in 2024, expanding access to single women and improving infertility prevention, such as social freezing of eggs, could help mitigate the population aging crisis.