Slovakia’s rate of natural increase (RNI)—the difference between birth and death rates—has been negative in recent years, reflecting a demographic trend common to much of Central and Eastern Europe. As of the early 2020s, Slovakia’s RNI hovers around -0.2% per year, indicating that deaths outnumber births. This pattern is similar to neighboring Hungary and the Czech Republic, both of which also experience negative or near-zero RNIs due to aging populations and low fertility rates. In contrast, Austria’s RNI is slightly less negative, buoyed somewhat by higher immigration, though natural increase alone remains close to zero or negative. Poland, while also facing low fertility, has at times maintained a marginally higher RNI than Slovakia, but it too is trending downward. Overall, Slovakia and its neighbors are grappling with population stagnation or decline driven by natural demographic processes, with migration increasingly shaping their population dynamics.
| Year | Rate of Natural Increase | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0.163 | 5,361,594 |
| 2000 | 0.045 | 5,400,320 |
| 2005 | 0.018 | 5,407,674 |
| 2010 | 0.128 | 5,426,041 |
| 2015 | 0.012 | 5,444,716 |
| 2020 | -0.079 | 5,439,808 |
| 2024 | -0.161 | 5,418,267 |
| 2025 | -0.181 | 5,410,115 |
| 2026 | -0.201 | 5,400,883 |
| 2030 | -0.276 | 5,353,517 |
| 2035 | -0.344 | 5,275,705 |
| 2040 | -0.388 | 5,185,411 |
| 2045 | -0.438 | 5,085,052 |
| 2050 | -0.5 | 4,972,634 |
| 2055 | -0.584 | 4,844,820 |
| 2060 | -0.661 | 4,701,255 |
| 2065 | -0.717 | 4,546,893 |
| 2070 | -0.747 | 4,388,267 |
| 2075 | -0.744 | 4,232,394 |
| 2080 | -0.711 | 4,086,030 |
| 2085 | -0.663 | 3,953,180 |
| 2090 | -0.615 | 3,834,176 |
| 2095 | -0.571 | 3,727,612 |
| 2100 | -0.551 | 3,630,442 |
Data from US Census International Database