In the previous year, slightly less than 54 thousand persons died in Slovakia, with mortality remaining stable

For the third consecutive year, the number of deaths in Slovakia remained in line with the pre-pandemic average. Men still account for the most deaths; though, their number dropped year-on-year, while deaths among females slightly rose. In four of the 8 regions, mortality was below the pre-pandemic average. Diseases of the circulatory system and neoplasms remain the leading causes, accounting for 70% of all deaths.

In 2025, a total of 53.5 thousand persons died in Slovakia, representing a year-on-year decrease of 0.7% (by 356 persons). The total number of deaths was the lowest since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and was virtually identical to the five-year pre-pandemic average¹⁾.

The positive trend was also reflected in the crude death rate; per 100 thousand inhabitants²⁾, 988 deaths were recorded in Slovakia. For the third consecutive year, mortality thus remained below the threshold of 1 000 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. In contrast, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the figure climbed to approximately 1 350 deaths—the highest level recorded since 1946. Afterward, it gradually declined to more favourable levels. The crude death rate provides a more objective basis for comparison over longer time periods (when the total population size of a country changes significantly) as well as between regions with different population sizes.

“Mortality indicators have been continuously dropping since 2021. The last three years show that the pandemic disrupted the previously relatively stable mortality level only temporarily with current values returning to pre-pandemic long-term averages,” said Zuzana Podmanická, Director of the Population Statistics Department of the Statistical Office of the SR.

The Statistical Office of the SR publishes a report on the total number of deaths by their cause³⁾ in the SR shortly after the publication of complete definitive demographic data for 2025.

Development of mortality since 1940

Mortality trends since 1940 can be divided into several stages reflecting the country´s social and medical conditions. Mortality level reached its peak in 1945, when, the impact of the Second World War led to the rise of the crude death rate to 1 952 deaths per 100 000 population. After the end of the war, a decline followed: already in 1946 the crude death rate decreased to 1 403 and in 1947 it dropped further to 1 221. Improvements in health care and living conditions led to a long-term downward trend in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1961, the crude death rate reached 749 deaths, which was the lowest recorded level in the post-war period.

At the beginning of the 1970s, however, the trend reversed, mainly due to emerging population ageing, and mortality began to gradually increase. The crude death rate exceeded 1 000 in 1980 and fluctuated during the 1980s within the range of 990 to 1 030 deaths per 100 000 population. Following the establishment of the independent Slovak Republic in 1993, a period of relative stability occurred. This phase lasted until the pre-pandemic year 2019, with the crude death rate maintained within a relatively narrow interval from 948 to 998 deaths per 100- thousand population.

The gap in the number of deaths between sexes narrowed again in 2025

A notable feature in 2025 was the differing mortality trend  by sex, though the total number of deaths declined, this decrease was observed exclusively among males.  In their case, the number of deaths dropped to 27.5 thousand, which was 407 fewer than in 2024. In contrast, the number of female deaths slightly rose to 26.1 thousand, i.e. 51 more than in the previous year. Nevertheless, the share of male deaths remained higher, representing 51.3% of the total number of deaths, while females represented 48.7%.

“Women in Slovakia have long had a higher average life expectancy, which leads to their marked predominance over men in older age groups of the population. Although mortality remains higher among males, the gap in life expectancy between males and females is gradually narrowing,“ stated Zuzana Podmanická.

Last year, there were 1.4 thousand more male deaths than female deaths. During the peak of the pandemic in 2021, the difference was higher, at 2.3 thousand. At the turn of the millennium, the gap was even significantly higher, exceeding 3 thousand deaths to the disadvantage of males.

Regional differences in the number of deaths persist

From a regional perspective, 2025 saw a favorable development in most SR regions. The number of deaths dropped year-on-year in six out of eight regions, except Prešovský kraj and Košický kraj. Compared with the 5-year pre-pandemic average1), the current number of deaths was lower in four regions – Nitriansky, Žilinský, Banskobystrický and Bratislavský kraj. The remaining four regions recorded a slightly higher number of deaths than the pre-2020¹⁾ average, but these were low levels of excess mortality, ranging from 0.6% in Trenčiansky kraj to 2.2% in Košický kraj.

Differences in regional developments were also confirmed by the crude death rate. Among the 8 regions of Slovakia, 4 recorded in 2025 a lower crude death rate than the national average: Bratislavský kraj (820 deaths per 100 thousand population), Prešovský kraj (874), Žilinský kraj (953) and Košický kraj (968). The highest and significantly above-average crude death rate was in Banskobystrický kraj, where 1 142 deaths per 100 thousand population were recorded in 2025. Trnavský, Trenčiansky and Nitriansky kraj were also above the national average.

Among the working-age population, the number of deaths was one fifth lower than before the pandemic

Although the impact of the pandemic on mortality persist among older age groups, trends among the working age population have been favourable.

The number of deaths among seniors (persons aged 65 years and over) remained unchanged year-on-year, but was still more than 6% higher than the pre-pandemic five-year average. While mortality among older seniors aged 75 years and over was nearly 5% higher than before the pandemic, excess mortality persisted among younger seniors (aged 65 to 74), reaching almost 11% compared with the pre-pandemic average¹⁾, representing an increase of more than 1 200 persons.

In the last two years, the number of deaths among persons of working age (15 to 64 years) declined. Year-on-year, their number decreased by almost 4%. Compared with the pre-pandemic five-year average, there were 2.5 thousand fewer deaths last year (−18.8%), and 2 thousand fewer in 2024 (−15.5%).

Diseases of the circulatory system remained the leading cause of death

After the pandemic subsided, the main causes of death returned to those that have long dominated in Slovakia. In 2025, diseases of the circulatory system were again the leading cause of death, accounting for 24.1 thousand deaths. This was 1 417 fewer than the pre-pandemic average. Positively, for the second consecutive year, their number decreased by more than one thousand deaths. In year-on-year comparison, their number declined by 0.5%, and compared with the pre-pandemic average it was lower by 5.5%. Nevertheless, the current share of this cause in total deaths reached 45%.

The largest decrease in deaths from diseases of the circulatory system was among the working-age population (aged 15 to 64 years). Compared with the previous year, their number was lower by 7.5%, and relative to the average for the pre-pandemic period, it declined by more than 24%. The most substantial share, more than two-thirds of all deaths from cardiovascular diseases, was attributable to older seniors aged 75 years and over. Per 100 000 population, the highest mortality from cardiovascular diseases was recorded in Banskobystrický kraj (558) and Nitriansky kraj (530).

In 2025, neoplasms remained the second leading cause of death accounting for one quarter of all deaths. The number of deaths due to this cause was almost unchanged year- on- year, being only just under 0.3% lower, and compared with the pre-pandemic average it decreased by 2.6%. In total, around 13.3 thousand people died from neoplasms last year, with more than three quarters of them being older persons in the age group 65 years and over. The highest crude death rate from neoplasms was recorded last year in Nitriansky kraj and in Trnavský kraj (280 persons per 100,000 population).

Diseases of the respiratory system were the third most common causes of death, representing almost 9% of the total number of deaths. Their number rose year on year by 0.7% and was higher by more than 19% compared with the pre-pandemic period. In 2025, over 4.7 thousand persons died from respiratory system diseases. 

A decrease in the number of deaths due to COVID-19 infection continued in 2025. There were 50 deaths, representing a decrease of 75% compared with 2024, when 200 people died. Consequently, COVID-19 ranked 16th among the leading causes of death, and its share in total mortality is practically negligible (0.1%). However, in total, more than 22.5 thousand persons have died in the Slovak Republic as a result of this infection since the beginning of the pandemic.