Hungarians in Slovakia
According to the 2021 census, the Hungarian population in Slovakia numbers 456,154 individuals, representing 8.4% of the country’s total population. Of these, 422,065 people identified Hungarian as their primary ethnicity, while 34,089 individuals stated that, although they primarily identify with another ethnicity, they also consider themselves Hungarian secondarily. The number of those who use Hungarian as their mother tongue is slightly higher, at 462,175. Over the past decades, the Hungarian population in Slovakia has shown a significant decline: in 2011, 458,467 people identified as Hungarian (at that time, it was not possible to indicate a second ethnic affiliation), in 2001, 520,528 people, and in 1991, 567,296 people identified as Hungarian in Slovakia. The majority of the Hungarian population resides in the southern belt of Slovakia, contiguous with the Hungarian border. The largest concentration of Hungarians is found in Southwestern Slovakia, from Bratislava (Pozsony) to the Ipeľ (Ipoly) River. The second largest Hungarian-inhabited area includes the regions of Novohrad (Nógrád), Gemer (Gömör), and the Košice (Kassa) Basin, while the third largest cluster is in the Bodrog and Ung regions. In addition to these major clusters, a significant Hungarian-speaking enclave exists around Nitra. There are over 400 municipalities in Slovakia with a Hungarian majority; however, ethnic Hungarian population is in majority in only two districts (Dunajská Streda (Dunaszerdahely) and Komárno (Komárom)), and there is no county where Hungarians constitute 25% of the population. In Slovakia, there are 12 towns with a Hungarian majority, but these are considered small towns in terms of population. The towns with the largest Hungarian populations are Komárno (Komárom) (17,696 Hungarians out of 32,967 residents – 53.7%), Dunajská Streda (Dunaszerdahely) (16,577 Hungarians out of 23,044 residents – 71.9%), and Kolárovo (Gúta) (7,839 Hungarians out of 10,572 residents – 74.2%). Notably, Bratislava (Pozsony) has 11,297 Hungarians, which is only 2.4% of the capital’s total population.