Languages spoken in Slovakia
Europe · Capital: Bratislava · Population 5.6 million
The official language of Slovakia is Slovak. An estimated 90% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 5 million people. After Slovak, the most widely spoken are Czech at 47% and English at 26%. Slovak belongs to the Indo-European language family. Slovak is also spoken in one of its five neighbours: Czechia. In total, seven languages are recorded in Slovakia, and their shares add up to 198.8% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.0 of them.
What languages are spoken in Slovakia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SlovakIndo-European | 90% | Official | 5 million |
| CzechIndo-European | 47% | Spoken | 2.6 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 26% | Spoken | 1.4 million |
| GermanIndo-European | 22% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| HungarianUralic | 11% | Spoken | 612,002 |
| UkrainianIndo-European | 1.9% | Spoken | 105,709 |
| PolishIndo-European | 0.9% | Spoken | 51,742 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Slovakia?
The official language of Slovakia is Slovak. Slovak is spoken by an estimated 90% of the population, or roughly 5 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Slovak in Slovakia?
An estimated 90% of Slovakia's 5.6 million people speak Slovak, which works out at roughly 5 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Slovakia
- Capital
- Bratislava
- Population
- 5.6 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 49,037 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 7
- Land borders
- 5
- ISO codes
- SK / SVK / 703
Which countries border Slovakia?
Slovakia shares a land border with five countries: Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine. Slovak, the most widely spoken language in Slovakia, is also spoken in Czechia.
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Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.