The city of Prague is in need of many more apartments.

A study conducted by CE-Traffic reveals that the city of Prague needs to accommodate around 1.5 million people — 250,000 more than the projections of the Czech Statistical Office. According to data from various mobile network providers, approximately 1.55 million people currently reside in Prague, with around 250,000 of them lacking permanent housing. Another finding from the survey shows that about 300,000 to 400,000 people commute to Prague daily for work or study.

Ondřej Špaček from CE-Traffic, the agency that carried out the survey, claims that this issue is not new. He notes that already in 2013, forecasts predicted that Prague would have around 1.4 million residents, but in reality, the number was about 150,000 higher. He adds that when tourists are included, the daily population of Prague rises to approximately 1.75 million people.

Petr Hlaváček, a member of Prague’s Urban Planning Council, says that the data indicates demand for housing in Prague is much higher than expected. According to him, affordable housing in Prague is no longer feasible, as demand has significantly driven up prices. For example, the price of new apartments in the city has increased by approximately 90% since 2015, particularly in peripheral neighborhoods on the western and eastern edges of the city. Additionally, rental prices have risen, especially in areas with good transport connections to business and employment centers.

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