The population of Slovakia is ageing

Slovakia has experienced significant demographic changes in the recent decades. One of them is population ageing, which is reflected in the growth of older and a decrease of the younger age groups and it has a direct impact on the development of the whole society. The results of the 2021 Census point to a continuing increase in the elderly and a decline in the population in the lower age groups.

While in 2011, the pre-productive age population (0-14 years) had a higher share compared with the post-productive age population (65+ years), in 2021 it is the opposite.

In 2021, compared to 2011, there was a slight increase in the share of the population in the pre-productive age (0-14 years) from 15.3 % to 15.9 %, but at the same time we can observe a significant increase in the population in the post-productive age ( 65+ years), whose share was 12.7 % in 2011 and increased to 17.1 % in 2021. The share of the working age population (15-64 years) decreased from 72.0 % in 2011 to 67,0 % in 2021.

Population structure by main age groups in Slovakia as of 1. 1. 2021

Legitimately, more men than women are born, but the life expectancy of women in Slovakia is significantly higher, so the share of women in the population is consistently higher, which was confirmed by the population and housing census, the share of women is 51,1 %, of men is 48.9 %.

Population structure by gender in Slovakia as of 1. 1. 2021