The Ministry of Interior of Slovakia has published official statistics on the number of foreign citizens living in the country. At the end of 2025, the total number of officially registered foreigners reached 360,440 people, which is 23,300 more than in the previous year.
Who Chooses Slovakia
Ukraine remains the clear leader in terms of the number of citizens in the Slovak Republic. Currently, 212.2 thousand Ukrainians live here, of whom 138.8 thousand have temporary protection status, and 73.4 thousand are here for other reasons.
The top five leading countries are:
- Ukraine — 212.2 thousand people.
Serbia — 15,482 people.
Vietnam — 12.5 thousand people.
Russia — 9 thousand people.
India — 8 thousand people.
Analysts are paying special attention to the "explosive" growth rate of the Indian diaspora. The number of citizens from the Philippines, Uzbekistan, and especially Nepal is also increasing. The number of people from Nepal has grown tenfold in a year (2024 – 121 people; 2025 – 1409 people). On the other hand, Serbs and Georgians are gradually leaving the country – their numbers decreased by 2,000 and 1,200 people, respectively.
Popular Regions and Types of Residence Permits
The Bratislava region remains a "magnet" for migrants: over 110,000 foreigners are concentrated here. The Banská Bystrica region has traditionally been the least attractive, with about 16,000 people with foreign passports living there.
Regarding legal status, at the end of the year, 119.5 thousand people had temporary residence permits (pobyt), 46 thousand had permanent residence permits (trvalý pobyt), and about 139.5 thousand were under various forms of humanitarian protection.
Employment vs. Own Business
The introduction of new quotas and changes in legislation have significantly affected the reasons why foreigners legalize their status in the country. For the first time in a long time, a decrease in interest in "business migration" has been recorded, in favor of direct employment.
- Temporary residence permit for business (SRO and FOP): the number decreased to 38,000 (minus 5,000 per year).
- Temporary residence permit for employment: the number increased to 36,000 people (plus 8,000 per year).
- Family reunification: 18.5 thousand people (+3,000).
- Education: 17,000 people (+3.5 thousand).
- Long-term permanent residence (Dlhodobý pobyt): 31,000 people (+6,000).
These changes indicate Slovakia's transformation from a country for small foreign businesses to a country that actively attracts employed workers to meet the needs of its own labor market.
