Statistical information Slovakia 1999

Slovakia in the World
top of pageBackground: After centuries under foreign rule, mainly by Hungary, the Slovaks joined with their neighbors to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989, and Czechoslovakia once more was an independent country turning toward the West. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia has experienced more difficulty than the Czech Republic in developing a modern market economy.
top of pageLocation: Central Europe, south of Poland
Geographic coordinates: 48 40 N, 19 30 E
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 48,845 km²
Land: 48,800 km²
Water: 45 km²
Comparative: about twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundariesTotal: 1,355 km
Border countries: (5) Austria 91 km;
, Czech Republic 215 km;
, Hungary 515 km;
, Poland 444 km;
, Ukraine 90 kmCoastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain: rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m
Extremes highest point: Gerlachovka 2,655 m
Natural resources: brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt
Land useArable land: 31%
Permanent crops: 3%
Permanent pastures: 17%
Forests and woodland: 41%
Other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 800 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: NA
GeographyNote: landlocked
top of pagePopulation: 5,396,193 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%
NationalityNoun: Slovak(s)
Adjective: Slovak
Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.7%, Hungarian 10.7%, Gypsy 1.5% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which is about 500,000), Czech 1%, Ruthenian 0.3%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.1%, Polish 0.1%, other 0.3%
Languages: Slovak (official), Hungarian
Religions: Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%, Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 20% (male 551,847; female 528,236)
15-64 years: 69% (male 1,837,788; female 1,861,305)
65 years and over: 11% (male 237,710; female 379,307) (1999 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 9.52 births/1000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 9.43 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.29 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 9.48 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 73.46 years
Male: 69.71 years
Female: 77.4 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.2 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: NA
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Slovak Republic
Conventional short form: Slovakia
Local long form: Slovenska Republika
Local short form: Slovensko
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Bratislava
Administrative divisions: 8 departments (kraje, singular_kraj; Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky
Dependent areasIndependence: 1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)
National holiday: Slovak Constitution Day, 1 September (1992; Anniversary of Slovak National Uprising, 29 August (1944)
Constitution: ratified 1 September 1992, fully effective 1 January 1993
Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: President (vacant); note_President NOVAC retired at the end of his term; the government has announced its intention to hold direct presidential election in early 1999; in the meantime the prime minister takes over the president's duties
Head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by National Council secret ballot that must yield a three-fifths majority for a five-year term; election last held NA March 1998 but no candidate was able to win a three-fifths majority required by law (next to be held NA 1999); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president
Election results: presidency vacant
Legislative branch: unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovensky Repubiky (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 25-26 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2003)
Election results: percent of vote by party_HZDS 27%, SDK 16.3%, SDL 14.7%, SMK 9.1%, SNS 9.1%, SOP 8%; seats by party_governing coalition 93 (SDK 42, SDL 23, SMK 15, SOP 13), opposition 57 (HZDS 43, SNS 14)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are elected by the National Council; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUA, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Martin BUTORA
In the us chancery: (temporary) Suite 250, 2,201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 965-5,161
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 965-5,166
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph R. JOHNSON
From the us embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81,102 Bratislava
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [42] (7) 5,443-0861, 5,443-3,338
From the us FAX: [42] (7) 5,443-5,439
Flag description
: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Slovakia, continuing the difficult transition from a centrally controlled economy to a modern market-oriented economy, begins 1999 with clouds on the horizon:GDP growth is slowing sharply; budget and current account deficits are too large; external debt is growing uncomfortably fast; unemployment is high and rising; corrupt insider deals persist; and demand is weakening for Slovakia's key primary goods exports, especially as Russia and Ukraine slump and as EU growth slows. International credit rating agencies have downgraded Slovak debt to below investment grade. The new government intends to address the economy's ills by giving priority to joining the OECD and EU, cutting government wage and infrastructure spending, boosting some taxes and regulated prices, expanding privatization to companies formerly considered strategic, restructuring the financial section, encouraging foreign investment, and reenergizing the social partnership with labor and employers. Government officials believe as long as two years may be needed before its structural reforms improve economic performance. In 1999, the government expects GDP growth to slow from 5% in 1998 to 2%, inflation to rise from 6% to 10%, and unemployment to rise from less than 14% to 15% or 16%, but hopes to bring the budget deficit down to no more than 2% of GDP and the current account deficit down to 5% to 6% of GDP.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 5% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $8,300 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 4.8%
Industry: 33.4%
Services: 61.8% (1997)
Agriculture products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products
Industries: metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, and nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products
Industrial production growth rate: 2.7% (1997)
Labor force: 3.32 million (1997)
By occupation industry: 29.3%
By occupation agriculture: 8.9%
By occupation construction: 8%
By occupation transportandcommunication: 8.2%
By occupation services: 45.6% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 14% (1998 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: NA%
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $5.4 billion
Expenditures: $6.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $10.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 37%; intermediate manufactured goods 30%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 13%; chemicals 9%; raw materials 4% (1998)
Partners: EU 56% (Germany 29%), Czech Republic 20%, Austria 7%, Poland 7% (1998)
Imports: $12.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 40%; intermediate manufactured goods 18%; fuels 11%; chemicals 11%; miscellaneous manufactured goods 10% (1998)
Partners: EU 50% (Germany 26%), Czech Republic 18%, Russia 10%, Italy 6% (1998)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $10.7 billion (1997)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: koruny (Sk) per US$1_36.207 (January 1999), 35.233 (1998). 33.616 (1997), 30.654 (1996), 29.713 (1995), 32.045 (1994)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 25.81 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 35.57%
Production by source hydro: 20.81%
Production by source nuclear: 43.62%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 26.353 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 2.607 billion kWh (1996)
Imports: 3.15 billion kWh (1996)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 1,362,178 (1992 est.)
Telephone systemDomestic: NA
International: NA
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $436 million (1998)
Percent of gdp: 2.1% (1998)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 15 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 10
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3 (1998 est.)
HeliportsPipelines: petroleum products NA km; natural gas 2,700 km
RailwaysTotal: 3,660 km
Broad gauge: 102 km 1.520-m gauge
Standard gauge: 3,507 km 1.435-m gauge (1424 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 51 km (46 km 1,000-m gauge; 5 km 0.750-m gauge) (1996)
RoadwaysWaterways: 172 km on the Danube
Merchant marine: total:3 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,041 GRT/19,517 DWT (1998 est.)
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: ongoing Gabcikovo Dam dispute with Hungary is before the International Court of Justice; unresolved property issues with Czech Republic over redistribution of former Czechoslovak federal property
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: minor, but increasing, transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish bound for Western Europe