Slovakia

Slovakia

Slovakia (UN M49 code 703; ISO alpha-2 SK; ISO alpha-3 SVK) is a landlocked nation in the UN subregion of Eastern Europe within the broader UN region of Europe. It is a United Nations member state. The World Bank lists Bratislava as the capital in its country profile.

This guide gives you the stable identifiers for Slovakia, then shows you exactly where to verify figures that change over time. It does not freeze population, currency, visa, or economic data, because those numbers shift and different institutions measure them differently. Use this guide to find the current official figure yourself, cite it correctly, and avoid mixing incompatible datasets.

Stable identifiers

These are the codes and categorisations assigned by international standard-setting bodies. They describe how Slovakia is grouped in data systems, not a political or territorial claim.

Attribute	Value
UN M49 code	703
ISO alpha-2	SK
ISO alpha-3	SVK
UN region	Europe
UN subregion	Eastern Europe
UN membership	Member state
World Bank capital field	Bratislava

The UN M49 scheme is maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division. The overview of M49 codes is published at . The World Bank’s country API provides the capital and other country attributes in a machine-readable form; the capital field returned for Slovakia is Bratislava. Categorisation under the UN M49 system is a coding convention, not a political or territorial claim.

What the M49 grouping does and does not decide

The UN M49 standard assigns codes and regional groupings for data-collection convenience. For Slovakia, M49 code 703, alpha-2 SK, and alpha-3 SVK are identifiers used in UN and World Bank datasets. M49 places Slovakia in Europe (region) and Eastern Europe (subregion). That grouping is a coding convention. Slovakia is a UN member state, which is a separate fact from its M49 categorisation.

If you need to check a code, the UN M49 overview is the authoritative source at . The United Nations Statistics Division states that the standard is used for convenience and does not imply any political or other affiliation of countries or territories.

How to verify figures that change

Country profiles that publish a single “current” number for population, GDP, or inflation become outdated quickly. The UN and the World Bank publish reference data, but each figure has a reference year, a definition, and a collection method. For Slovakia, use the following sources and note the reference year each time you cite a number.

Population and development indicators

The UN Statistics Division maintains the M49 list of countries and areas, which assigns Slovakia the code 703 and places it in the Eastern Europe subregion of Europe. That list is a coding tool, not a political or territorial statement. For population figures, the UN Population Division publishes annual estimates and projections; the World Bank also publishes population estimates. Both are based on census and demographic data, but their reference dates differ. Always state the year: a figure labelled 2024 may be a projection or an estimate, not a census count. The most recent census in Slovakia was conducted in 2021 by the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (Štatistický úrad Slovenskej republiky), the national authority.

Population figures are estimates, not exact counts. The most recent census may be several years old, and intercensal estimates carry uncertainty. Always cite the source and reference year for any population figure you use. For cross-country comparison, use the same source and year for every nation; mixing datasets from different years produces false precision.

For a quick snapshot, the World Bank country API returns a population value with a stated year; you can retrieve it from and check the date` field. The UN M49 overview lists Slovakia under code 703 and is the reference for standard country codes and regional groupings at .

Economic indicators

Use the World Bank country API at for country metadata and economic indicators. The World Bank’s DataBank lets you pull GDP, GNI per capita, income group, and poverty rates for a stated reference year. Always record the year attached to each figure, because these series are revised and rebased periodically.

Capital

Bratislava is the capital, as recorded by the World Bank’s country data field. Capital city status is a political fact; it does not change with population or economic data. Bratislava is also the largest city by population, but city population figures should be checked against the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic for the most recent census or estimate. Verify the capital field via the World Bank country API.

Currency

The euro (EUR). Slovakia adopted the euro on 1 January 2009, replacing the Slovak koruna. The euro is managed by the European Central Bank; the national issuing authority is Národná banka Slovenska. For current exchange rates, use the ECB reference rates page rather than any static conversion. Confirm current status with the European Central Bank or the National Bank of Slovakia.

Language

Slovak (slovenčina) is the official language, per national legislation. The EU also lists Slovak as an official language of the European Union. Hungarian, Romani, Rusyn, and other minority languages are spoken by communities across the country.

Travel requirements

Your own government’s foreign ministry travel advisory and the IATA Travel Centre are the only appropriate sources for visa and entry requirements. No third-party page can substitute for them. Entry rules change with little notice, and only an official government source or the IATA database reflects the current position.

Country codes

IANA maintains the root zone database for the .sk country-code top-level domain and coordinates code tables. The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and alpha-3 codes are managed by the ISO Maintenance Agency, not by the UN.