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

Health

be 27.5% less likely to die by suicide

Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Slovakia, it is 9.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 19.6% more likely to be obese

In Poland, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 26.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 18.0% less spent on your healthcare

Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Slovakia spends $3,230 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 79.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Slovakia, that number is 5.4% as of 2025.

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Life

have 23.2% more children

In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Slovakia, there are 8.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Poland, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Slovakia, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 47.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Poland, approximately 3.6 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.

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Basic Needs

be 10.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Poland, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Safety

be 40.0% more likely to be murdered

Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Slovakia, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 33.3% more home broadband

Poland has 25.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Slovakia has 33.8 as of 2024.

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live with 92.5% less strain on fresh water

Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Slovakia withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 26.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Slovakia, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.

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emit 27.0% less CO2

Poland emits 7.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Slovakia emits 5.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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