If you lived in Slovakia instead of Hungary, you would:

Health

live 1.7 years longer

In Hungary, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 16.8% less likely to be obese

In Hungary, 31.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 26.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 12.3% more spent on your healthcare

Hungary spends $2,875 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Slovakia spends $3,230 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 39.8% less likely to die by suicide

Hungary has a suicide rate of 16.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Slovakia, it is 9.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 10.2% more money

Hungary has a GDP per capita of $25,907 as of 2025, while in Slovakia, the GDP per capita is $28,544 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 18.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Hungary, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Slovakia, that number is 5.4% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 13.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Hungary, 12.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Slovakia, however, that number is 13.7% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Life

be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Hungary, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Slovakia, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 71.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Hungary, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Slovakia, on the other hand, 5.3 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 22.6% more on education

Hungary spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Slovakia spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 15.4% more on healthcare

Hungary spends 6.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Slovakia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 13.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Hungary, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Slovakia, they kill 6.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 55.6% more likely to be murdered

Hungary has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Slovakia, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 70.0% less strain on fresh water

Hungary withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Slovakia withdraws 2% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 28.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Hungary, air pollution causes 42.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Slovakia, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 23.5% more CO2

Hungary emits 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Slovakia emits 5.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Slovakia: At a glance

Slovakia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 48,105 sq km. Slovakia's roots can be traced to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. Subsequently, the Slovaks became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. Following the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (Magyarization) resulted in a strengthening of Slovak nationalism and a cultivation of cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who were under Austrian rule. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 Slovakia became an independent state allied with Nazi Germany. Following World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country'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. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 and the euro zone on 1 January 2009.
Read more

How big is Slovakia compared to Hungary? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Slovakia or Hungary. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.