World Population Day, established in 1989 by the United Nations Population Fund, highlights the rapid global population growth. The Slovak population has experienced different stages of development. The first modern census in 1869 reported nearly 2.482 million inhabitants in Slovakia. There was a population decline between 1869 and 1880 due to a cholera epidemic, which claimed the lives of about 2.3% of the population. In 1991, the last Czechoslovak census surpassed 5 million permanent residents for the first time. Subsequently, the population continued to grow at a slower rate. The latest census in Slovakia occurred in 2021, showing a 1% growth rate due to an increase in the birth rate. However, there is a potential future decline of up to 0.5% in 2031, exacerbated by higher mortality rates.
Source: Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic
