Slovakia

• temperate;
• cool summers;
• cold, cloudy, humid winters

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

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

noun:

Slovak(s)

adjective:

Slovak

total:

42.8 years (2024 est.)

male:

41.3 years

female:

44.4 years

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.67 male(s)/female

total population:

0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

5.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

5.7 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

4.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

77.2 years (2024 est.)

male:

73.7 years

female:

81 years

total:

10.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

4.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

2.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

4.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

31.5% (2020 est.)

male:

37.4% (2020 est.)

female:

25.6% (2020 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• air pollution and acid rain present human health risks and damage forests;
• land erosion caused by agricultural and mining practices;
• water pollution

• temperate;
• cool summers;
• cold, cloudy, humid winters

urban population:

54% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.17% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

15.89 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

32.42 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

4.43 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

1.784 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

135,941 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

7.6% (2015 est.)

municipal:

290 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

230 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

1

global geoparks and regional networks:

Novohrad-Nógrád (includes Hungary) (2023)

conventional long form:

Slovak Republic

conventional short form:

Slovakia

local long form:

Slovenska republika

local short form:

Slovensko

etymology:

may derive from the medieval Latin word "Slavus" (Slav), which had the local form "Sloven", used since the 13th century to refer to the territory of Slovakia and its inhabitants

name:

Bratislava

geographic coordinates:

48 09 N, 17 07 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology:

• the name was adopted in 1919 after Czechoslovakia gained its independence and may derive from later transliterations of the 9th century military commander, Braslav, or the 11th century Bohemian Duke BRETISLAV I;
• alternatively, the name may derive from the Slovak words brat (brother) and slava (glory)

• civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes;
• note - legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe

history:

several previous (preindependence); latest passed by the National Council 1 September 1992, signed 3 September 1992, effective 1 October 1992

amendments:

• proposed by the National Council;
• passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote of Council members;
• amended many times, last in 2020

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Slovakia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Peter PELLEGRINI (since 15 June 2024)

head of government:

Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 25 October 2023)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election first round held on 23 March 2024 with a runoff on 6 April 2024 (next to be held in 2029);
• following National Council elections (every 4 years), the president designates a prime minister candidate, usually the leader of the party or coalition that wins the most votes, who must win a vote of confidence in the National Council

election results:

• 2024: Peter PELLEGRINI elected president in the second round;
• percent of vote in second round Peter PELLEGRINI 53.1%;
• Ivan KORCOK 46.9%;
• percent of vote in first round - Ivan KORCOK (independent) 42.5%;
• Peter PELLEGRINI (Hlas-SD) 37%;
• Stefan HARABIN (independent) 11.7%, other 8.8%;

; 2019: Zuzana CAPUTOVA elected president in second round; percent of vote - Zuzana CAPUTOVA (PS) 58.4%, Maros SEFCOVIC (independent) 41.6%

description:

unicameral National Council or Narodna Rada (150 seats; members directly elected in a single- and multi-seat constituencies by closed, party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms); 76 seats needed for a majority

elections:

last held on 30 September 2023 (next to be held by 2027)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - SMER-SSD 23%, PS 18%, Hlas-SD 14.7%, OL'aNO 8.9%, KDH 6.8%, SaS 6.3%, SNS 5.6%;
• seats by party - SMER-SSD 42, PS 32, Hlas-SD 27, OL'aNO 16, KDH 12, SaS 11, SNS 10;
• composition - men 116, women 34, percentage women 22.7%

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic (consists of the court president, vice president, and approximately 80 judges organized into criminal, civil, commercial, and administrative divisions with 3- and 5-judge panels);
• Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic (consists of 13 judges organized into 3-judge panels)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judge candidates nominated by the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, an 18-member self-governing body that includes the Supreme Court chief justice and presidential, governmental, parliamentary, and judiciary appointees;
• judges appointed by the president serve for life subject to removal by the president at age 65;
• Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Council of the Republic and appointed by the president;
• judges serve 12-year terms

subordinate courts:

• regional and district civil courts;
• Special Criminal Court;
• Higher Military Court;
• military district courts;
• Court of Audit;

• Alliance-Szovetseg or A-S
• Christian Union or KÚ
• Civic Conservative Party or OKS
• Democrats
• Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SSD
• For the People or Za Ludi
• Freedom and Solidarity or SaS
• Life National Party or Život–NS (formerly Christian Democracy - Life and Prosperity - Alliance for Slovkia)
• New Majority or NOVA
• Ordinary People and Independent Personalities - New Majority or OLaNO-NOVA
• People's Party Our Slovakia or LSNS
• Progressive Slovakia or PS
• Republic
• Slovak National Party or SNS
• Voice - Social Democracy or Hlas-SD
• We Are Family or Sme-Rodina (formerly Party of Citizens of Slovakia)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Radovan JAVORČÍK (since 18 January 2021)

chancery:

3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 237-1054

FAX:

[1] (202) 237-6438

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.mzv.sk/web/washington-en

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Gautam A. RANA (since 28 September 2022)

embassy:

P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava

mailing address:

5840 Bratislava Place, Washington DC 20521-5840

telephone:

[421] (2) 5443-3338

FAX:

[421] (2) 5441-8861

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://sk.usembassy.gov/

• three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red derive from the Pan-Slav colors;
• the Slovakian coat of arms (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white double-barred cross of St. Cyril and St. Methodius surmounting three blue hills) is centered over the bands but offset slightly to the hoist side

note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia

name:

"Nad Tatrou sa blyska" (Lightning Over the Tatras)

lyrics/music:

Janko MATUSKA/traditional

note: adopted 1993, in use since 1844; music based on the Slovak folk song "Kopala studienku" (She was digging a well)

total World Heritage Sites:

8 (6 cultural, 2 natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica (c);
• Levoča, Spišský Hrad, and the Associated Cultural Monuments (c);
• Vlkolínec (c);
• Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst (n);
• Bardejov Town (c);
• Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (n);
• Wooden Churches of the Slovak Carpathians (c);
• Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube Limes (Western Segment) (c)

• high-income EU- and eurozone-member economy;
• manufacturing and exports led by automotive sector;
• weakening of anti-corruption laws may impact foreign investment and status of EU funds;
• influx of foreign labor offsets aging workforce;
• widening fiscal deficit from social spending and EU-financed public investments

Fitch rating:

A (2020)

Moody's rating:

A2 (2012)

Standard & Poors rating: A+ (2015)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

2% (2023 est.)

industry:

32.7% (2023 est.)

services:

56.5% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

• 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

total:

19.4% (2023 est.)

male:

21.6% (2023 est.)

female:

15.8% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

20% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

5% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.4% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

19.2% (2021 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Number of operational nuclear reactors:

5 (2023)

Number of nuclear reactors under construction:

1 (2023)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:

2.31GW (2023 est.)

Percent of total electricity production:

61.3% (2023 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down:

3 (2023)

production:

2.343 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

5.794 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

20,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

3.414 million metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

19 million metric tons (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

7,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

94,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

9 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

52.556 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

60.424 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

6.241 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

14.158 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• the broadband market has shown steady growth in recent years;
• fiber has become the principal platform for fixed broadband services, followed by DSL;
• the cable sector is a distant third in terms of subscribers, though cable is particularly strong in urban areas;
• mobile broadband access and content services are developing rapidly in line with operators having upgraded their networks;
• the regulator prepared the groundwork for 5G services in line with European Union requirements, with concessions in the 3.5GHz range followed by those in the 700MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz bands;
• 5G was launched in late 2021 and is expected to cover about a fifth of the population by the end of 2022 (2024)

domestic:

fixed-line is 10 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 132 per 100 tele density (2022)

international:

• country code - 421;
• 3 international exchanges (1 in Bratislava and 2 in Banska Bystrica) are available;
• Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services;
• connects to DREAM cable (2017)

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

• the military's inventory consists mostly of Soviet-era platforms;
• in recent years it has imported limited quantities of more modern, NATO-compatible equipment, particularly from Italy and the US (2024)

• no national government agency;
• the Slovak Space Office is responsible for inter-ministerial political coordination and multilateral international cooperation;
• it serves as the official national contact point for international cooperation between space agencies, offices, associations, businesses, and research entities, and is part of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Sport (2023)