Slovakia

parliamentary republic

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 meaning is unclear but has medieval Slavic origins; the name was adopted in 1919 after Czechoslovakia gained its independence, replacing the name Pre porok

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 election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); following National Council elections, 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 most recent election date: 23 March 2024, with a runoff on 6 April 2024 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% expected date of next election: 2029

legislature name: National Council (Narodna rada Slovenskej republiky) legislative structure: unicameral chamber name: National Council (Národná rada) number of seats: 150 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 9/30/2023 parties elected and seats per party: Smer - Social Democracy (Smer-SD) (42); Progressive Slovakia (PS) (32); Hlas (“Voice”) - SD (27); Coalition OĽaNO and Friends, 'For the People' and 'Christian Union' (16); Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) (12); Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) (11); Slovak National Party (SNS) (10) percentage of women in chamber: 23.3% expected date of next election: September 2027

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

history: several previous (pre-independence); latest passed by the National Council 1 September 1992, signed 3 September 1992, effective 1 October 1992 amendment process: proposed by the National Council; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote of Council members

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

2% of GDP (2025 est.) 2% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Ground Forces (S lovensk Pozemn Sily) , Air Forces (S lovensk Vzdu n Sily) , Special Operations Forces (Sily Pre Speci lne Oper cie) Ministry of Interior: Slovak Police Force (SPF or Policajn Zbor) (2025) note: the SPF has sole responsibility for internal and border security

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

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 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)

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

$218.762 billion (2024 est.) $214.343 billion (2023 est.) $209.794 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$40,300 (2024 est.) $39,500 (2023 est.) $38,600 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

2.1% (2024 est.) 2.2% (2023 est.) 0.4% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

2.8% (2024 est.) 10.5% (2023 est.) 12.8% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

64.3% of GDP (2022 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$120.355 billion (2024 est.) $122.04 billion (2023 est.) $114.519 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$120.29 billion (2024 est.) $119.739 billion (2023 est.) $121.473 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

5.3% (2024 est.) 5.9% (2023 est.) 6.2% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $43.882 billion (2022 est.) expenditures: $46.056 billion (2022 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

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

wheat, sugar beets, maize, milk, barley, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, potatoes, soybeans, pork (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 5,563,649 (2024 est.) male: 2,684,747 female: 2,878,902

-0.07% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 15.3% (male 444,033/female 408,902) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 1,834,359/female 1,867,158) 65 years and over: 18.1% (2024 est.) (male 406,355/female 602,842)

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.)

total population: 77.2 years (2024 est.) male: 73.7 years female: 81 years

urban population: 54% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.17% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Slovak 83.8%, Hungarian 7.8%, Romani 1.2%, other 1.8% (includes Czech, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Russian, German, Polish), unspecified 5.4% (2021 est.) note: data represent population by nationality; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 7 11% of Slovakia's population

Slovak (official) 81.8%, Hungarian 8.5%, Roma 1.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2021 est.) major-language sample(s): Svetova Kniha Faktov, nenahraditelny zdroj zakladnej informacie. (Slovak) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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.)

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

refugees: 144,349 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 65 (2024 est.)

116 (2025)

total: 3,627 km (2020) 1,585 km electrified

total subscriptions: 7.63 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 132 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 90% (2024 est.)