Population change in Czechia and Slovakia on the municipal level in 1996-2015 examined using Webb diagram
Abstract
The Webb diagram is a method that can be used to compare how much natural change and net migration in a region population contribute to the increase or decrease in the total population. The aim of the article is to evaluate the dynamics of population development in Czechia and Slovakia at the municipal level between 1996 and 2015.
By using the Webb diagram, it is possible to clearly compare how natural and migration change is reflected in the populations in the smallest regional units in both countries. In Czechia the development was more dynamic than in Slovakia, especially in 2006-2010, when there was a bigger change in the spatial pattern of population movement.
Population growth in the municipalities was found to be more the result of migration growth and the process of suburbanisation. Population declines were caused by several factors, such as the attractiveness of the given area or the status of the municipality in the hierarchy of municipalities (core vs periphery).