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The majority of the inhabitants of Slovakia are ethnically Slovak (86 %). Hungarians are the largest ethnic minority (10 %) and are concentrated in the southern and eastern regions of the country. Several municipalities, Dunajská Streda, Komárno, Šahy, Želiezovce etc., have a Hungarian majority. Other ethnic groups include Roma, Czechs, Ruthenians, Ukrainians and Germans. The percentage of Roma is 1.7% according to the last census (that is based on their own definition of the Roma), but around 5.6% based on interviews with municipality representatives and mayors (that is based on the definition of the remaining population). Note however that in the case of the 5.6%, the above percentages of Hungarians and Slovaks are lower by 4 %age points in sum. The Slovak constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The majority of Slovak citizens (68.9 %) identify themselves with the Roman Catholicism (although church attendance is lower); the second-largest group are people without confession (12.96 %). About 6.93 % belong to Lutheranism and 4.1 % are Greek Catholic, Calvinism has 2.0 %, other and non-registered churches 1.1 % i.e., other Eastern Catholic and some 0.9 % are Eastern Orthodox. About 2,300 Jews remain of the large estimated pre-WWII population of 120,000. The official state language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic languages, but Hungarian is also widely spoken in the south of the country and enjoys a co-official status in some (southern) regions of Slovakia. In 2004 Slovakia had a fertility rate of 1.25 (i.e., the average woman will have 1.25 children in her lifetime), which is one of the lowest numbers among EU countries. The fertility rate is currently increasing again. |
Slovakia Information: Inside
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