Slovakia

Slovakia traces its roots to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. The Slovaks then became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. After the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (known as "Magyarization") led to a public backlash that boosted Slovak nationalism and strengthened Slovak cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who fell administratively under the Austrian half of the empire. When the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved at the end of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939, in the wake of Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland, the newly established Slovak Republic became a German client state for the remainder of World War II. <br><br>After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, Warsaw Pact troops invaded and ended the efforts of Czechoslovakia's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful Velvet Revolution swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in 2004 and the euro zone in 2009.

Central Europe, south of Poland

48 40 N, 19 30 E

Europe

about 1.5 times the size of Maryland; about twice the size of New Hampshire

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south

lignite, small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land

259 sq km (2022)

Dunaj (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km<br><br><strong>note</strong> – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country; slightly larger concentration in the west in proximity to the Czech border

flooding

landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys

Slovak 83.8%, Hungarian 7.8%, Romani 1.2%, other 1.8% (includes Czech, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Russian, German, Polish), unspecified 5.4% (2021 est.)

Roman Catholic 55.8%, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession 5.3%, Greek Catholic 4%, Reformed Christian 1.6%, other 3%, none 23.8%, unspecified 6.5% (2021 est.)

-0.07% (2025 est.)

9.77 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

11.18 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country; slightly larger concentration in the west in proximity to the Czech border

441,000 BRATISLAVA (capital) (2023)

27.2 years (2020 est.)

4 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.6 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.77 (2025 est.)

3.7 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

5.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

20.5% (2016)

49.2% (2023 est.)

air pollution and acid rain; land erosion from agricultural and mining practices; water pollution

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

16.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

50.1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary republic

8 regions (<em>kraje</em>, singular - <em>kraj</em>); Banska Bystrica, Bratislava, Kosice, Nitra, Presov, Trencin, Trnava, Zilina

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Direction - Social Democracy or SMER-SD<br>Freedom and Solidarity or SaS<br>Progressive Slovakia or PS<br>Republic<br>Slovakia<br>The Slovak National Party or SNS<br>The Christian Democratic Movement or KDH<br>Voice - Social Democracy or HLAS-SD

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red; the national coat of arms (a red shield bordered in white, with a white double-barred cross of St. Cyril and St. Methodius on top of three blue hills) is centered over the bands but offset to the left<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> white, blue, and red are the pan-Slav colors

double-barred cross (Cross of St. Cyril and St. Methodius) over three peaks

white, blue, red

<p>high-income EU and eurozone economy; manufacturing and exports led by automotive sector;  growth supported by private consumption and public investment from EU funds, tempered by trade risks; increased taxes and withdrawal of energy subsidies contributing to rising but manageable inflation; strong labor demand and influx of foreign labor offsets aging workforce</p>

$141.776 billion (2024 est.)

wheat, sugar beets, maize, milk, barley, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, potatoes, soybeans, pork (2023)

automobiles; metal and metal products; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals, synthetic fibers, wood and paper products; machinery; earthenware and ceramics; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products; food and beverages; pharmaceutical

0.3% (2024 est.)

2.779 million (2024 est.)

13.7% (2021 est.)

19.4% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

Germany 20%, Czechia 10%, Hungary 7%, USA 6%, Poland 6% (2023)

cars, vehicle parts/accessories, video displays, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum (2023)

Germany 16%, Czechia 14%, Poland 8%, China 7%, Hungary 6% (2023)

vehicle parts/accessories, broadcasting equipment, cars, plastic products, insulated wire (2023)

state-owned public broadcaster, Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS), has 2 national TV stations; roughly 50 privately owned national, regional, and local TV stations; about 40% of households connected to multi-channel cable or satellite TV; multiple RTVS national and regional radio networks; 32 privately owned radio stations

.sk

OM

116 (2025)

2 (2025)

Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Ground Forces (Slovenské Pozemné Sily), Air Forces (Slovenské Vzdušné Sily), Special Operations Forces (Sily Pre Speciálne Operácie)<br><br>Ministry of Interior: Slovak Police Force (SPF or Policajný Zbor) (2025)

approximately 17,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)

the military's inventory is a mix of domestically produced, Soviet-era, and more modern/NATO-compatible armaments from suppliers such as Germany and the US (2025)

minimum age is 18 for voluntary service for men and women; citizens 18-65 can volunteer for the military reserves (2026)

200 Cyprus (UNFICYP); up to 150 Latvia (NATO)&nbsp; (2025)

the Slovak military is responsible for external defense and fulfilling Slovakia’s commitments to European and international security; Slovakia has been a member of both the EU and NATO since 2004; a key focus of the Slovak military is fulfilling the country’s security responsibilities to NATO, including modernizing and acquiring NATO-compatible equipment, participating in training exercises, and providing forces for security missions such as NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltic States; since 2022, Slovakia has hosted a multinational NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the NATO effort to boost the defenses of Eastern Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine; Slovakia also contributes to EU and UN peacekeeping missions<br><br>the Slovak Air Force has only a handful of fighter aircraft and is assisted by NATO’s air policing mission over Slovakia, which includes fighter aircraft from Czechia and Poland; in 2022, Slovakia signed a defense agreement with the US that allows the US to use two Slovak military air bases (2025)