Slovakia
| Population | 5.4 |
| Capital | Bratislava |
| Surface area | 49,000 km2 |
| Official Language | Slovak |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 89.14 bn |
| GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 0.75 |
| GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 71.8 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.863 |
| World rank in HDI | 42/177 |
| Key economic sectors (% of GDP in 2002) | Services (67.4); industry (28.6); agriculture (4.0) |
| Unemployment in January 2010 | 13.7% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
| Main religious denominations (% of population) | Roman Catholic (68.9); Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (6.9); Greek Catholic (4.1) |
| Political system | The President is directly elected and can serve a maximum of two five-year terms. The unicameral legislature, the National Council, serves a four-year term. |
| Electoral system | The National Council is elected by proportional representation |
| Current (March 2010) leaders | President: Ivan Gasparovic (b. 1941), since June 2004 Prime minister: Robert Fico (b. 1964), since July 2006 |
| Previous leaders: | Presidents: Rudolf Schuster (1998-2004); Michal Kovac (1993-1998) Prime ministers: Mikulas Dzurinda (1998-2006); Vladimir Meciar (1994-98); Jozef Moravcik (1994) |
| Joined the EU/EC | 2004 |
| Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Maros Sefcovic (Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration, Vice-President of the Commission) |
| Number of MEPs | 13/754 |
| Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 19.6 |
| Member of eurozone | Yes (joined on 1 January 2009) |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com