Factbook
History of Slovakia — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Slovakia, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1867After the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (known as "Magyarization") led to a public backlash that boosted Slovak nationalism and strengthened Slovak cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who fell administratively under the Austrian half of the empire.
1939During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939, in the wake of Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland, the newly established Slovak Republic became a German client state for the remainder of World War II.
1968In 1968, Warsaw Pact troops invaded and ended the efforts of Czechoslovakia's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful Velvet Revolution swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy.
1993Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia).
1993On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
2004Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in 2004 and the euro zone in 2009.
2021Languages: Slovak (official) 81.8%, Hungarian 8.5%, Roma 1.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2021 est.) Religions: 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.) Urban population: 54% of total population (2023).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 14.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 63.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 13.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 127.582 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: 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; pharma Agriculture: wheat, sugar beets, maize, milk, barley, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, potatoes, soybeans, pork (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 441,000 BRATISLAVA (capital) (2023) high-income EU and eurozone economy; manufacturing and exports led by automotive sector; growth supported by private consumption and public investment from EU funds, tempered by trade risks; increased taxes and withdrawal of energy subsidies contributing to rising but manageable inflation; strong labor demand and influx of foreign labor offsets aging workforce Inflation: 2.8% (2024 est.).
2025Military spending: 2% of GDP (2025 est.).
