Country profile · Central Europe
Slovakia
Slovakia is a country of about 5.4 million people in Central Europe. It split from Czechia on January 1, 1993, and joined NATO and the EU in 2004. Slovakia adopted the euro in 2009. Prime Minister Robert Fico, in his fourth government, survived an assassination attempt in May 2024. Slovakia makes more cars per person than any other country.
Where Slovakia ranks
All rankings →Which alliances is Slovakia in?
All alliances →Who runs Slovakia?
Prime Minister Robert Fico was born in Topoľčany on September 15, 1964. He studied law in Bratislava and was a Communist Party member before 1989. He was prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. He resigned in March 2018 after the journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová were murdered. Smer won the election of September 30, 2023 (chart), and Fico took office for the fourth time on October 25, 2023, leading a coalition with Hlas and SNS. On May 15, 2024 a 71-year-old man shot him four times in the town of Handlová. Fico survived. The attacker, Juraj Cintula, was sentenced to 21 years for terrorism. In September 2025 parliament changed the constitution to recognize only two sexes and to claim national sovereignty on cultural and ethical questions. The European Commission says that clause breaks EU law and opened a legal case in November 2025. Since September 2026 the coalition has only 76 of 150 seats. The next election is due by September 2027.
- Smer (Fico) 42
- Hlas 27
- SNS 10
- Progressive Slovakia 32
- OĽaNO 16
- KDH 12
- SaS 11
Photo (April 2024): Vladimir Simicek, European Commission, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
Who are Slovakia's allies and rivals?
Slovakia joined NATO and the EU in 2004. The last of its 14 American F-16 jets was handed over in April 2026. Under the previous government, Slovakia gave Ukraine an S-300 air defense system in 2022 and all 13 of its MiG-29 jets in 2023. Prime Minister Robert Fico stopped state military aid to Ukraine but allows commercial arms sales. He says he will block Ukraine from joining NATO but supports its EU bid. On May 9, 2025 Fico was the only EU leader at Victory Day events in Moscow. He met Vladimir Putin again in the Kremlin on May 9, 2026. Slovakia delayed several EU sanctions packages against Russia. In January 2026 Fico signed a deal with the United States for a new Westinghouse nuclear reactor at Bohunice. Hungary was Fico's closest ally under Viktor Orbán. Ties cooled after Péter Magyar became Hungary's prime minister in May 2026. Czechia restarted joint government meetings in March 2026 under Andrej Babiš.
Allies and partners
CzechiaFormer partner state; joint cabinet meetings again
GermanyLargest buyer of exports; Volkswagen's home
United StatesF-16 jets; new nuclear reactor deal in 2026
HungaryOil pipeline partner; ties cooler since May 2026
European UnionMember since 2004; legal case over the constitution
Tensions
UkraineDisputes over gas transit and the oil pipeline
- Bratislava refinery Slovnaft refinery, owned by Hungary's MOL. Russian oil arrives through the Druzhba pipeline. Flows stopped from January 27 to April 23, 2026.
- Mochovce Nuclear plant. Its fourth reactor joined the grid on October 15, 2026. Nuclear power made 62% of Slovakia's electricity in 2024.
- Veľké Kapušany Russian gas entered Slovakia here from Ukraine. The flow stopped on January 1, 2025. Russian gas now comes through Hungary.
- Sliač air base One of two air bases US forces may use under a 10-year defense agreement signed in February 2022.
- Slovakia
- Partner
- Tensions
Who does Slovakia trade with?
Slovakia exported €110.9 billion of goods in 2025 and imported €108.4 billion (Statistical Office of Slovakia). Germany was the largest buyer, with 21.3% of exports (chart). Czechia took 12.5%. Germany also supplied 13.9% of imports, and Czechia supplied 9.6%. Imports from China grew 12.9% in 2025, while imports from Russia fell 12.9%. Russia still sells Slovakia oil and gas. Slovakia's trade deficit with Russia was €3.6 billion in 2025. Cars made up 42.6% of exports. Exports to the United States fell 18.1% in 2025, after the United States put a 15% tariff on cars from the EU. The economy grew only 0.8% in 2025, and the central bank expects 0.8% again in 2026. The budget deficit was 4.4% of GDP in 2025. To cut it, the government raised the main VAT rate from 20% to 23% in 2025 and added a tax on bank transactions. The 2027 budget, passed on October 14, 2026, plans a deficit of 4.94% of GDP.
Why does Slovakia make so many cars?
Slovakia built about 1.07 million cars in 2025, or about 196 for every 1,000 people, according to the Automotive Industry Association of Slovakia. That is the highest rate in the world. Volkswagen bought the car works in Bratislava in 1991. Peugeot's maker, now Stellantis, opened a plant in Trnava in 2006. Kia began building cars in Žilina the same year, and Jaguar Land Rover opened a plant in Nitra in 2018. Volvo began test production at a fifth plant, near Košice, on September 21, 2026, with series production of electric cars due in 2027. Car makers were drawn by wages lower than in Western Europe, an industrial workforce and a location in the middle of Europe. The car industry makes more than half of Slovakia's industrial output and employs about 256,000 people directly and indirectly. The average monthly wage was €1,620 in 2025. A Chinese-Slovak battery plant is being built at Šurany, and in September 2026 Volkswagen's battery company agreed to take a 49% stake.
Why does Slovakia still buy Russian oil and gas?
Slovakia's only refinery, Slovnaft in Bratislava, was built to process Russian crude oil from the Druzhba pipeline. The refinery belongs to Hungary's MOL. EU sanctions have allowed pipeline oil from Russia since 2022. In August 2025 Ukrainian drones hit the pipeline inside Russia three times, and flows stopped each time. The pipeline was damaged in Ukraine on January 27, 2026, and oil did not reach Slovakia again until April 23. During that stop Slovakia declared an oil emergency and stopped emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. Gas transit through Ukraine ended on January 1, 2025, and Russian gas now reaches Slovakia through the TurkStream pipeline and Hungary. The gas company SPP has a contract with Gazprom until 2034. The EU will ban Russian pipeline gas under long-term contracts from September 30, 2027. Slovakia challenged the ban at the EU Court of Justice on April 24, 2026. Nuclear power made 62% of Slovakia's electricity in 2024, the second-highest share after France.