The Slovaks are descendants of a Slavic people who settled near the Danube between 400 and 500 ad. Slovaks comprise about 86 percent of the country’s inhabitants; Hungarians, who constitute the largest minority group, comprise close to 11 percent; and Roma (Gypsies) represent less than 2 percent. Small numbers of Czechs, Moravians, Silesians, Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Poles, and Germans also live in Slovakia.

The population is about 85 percent Slovak. Hungarians, concentrated in the southern border districts, form the largest minority. Czechs, Germans, and Poles are found throughout the country, while Ruthenians (ethnic Ukrainians) are concentrated in the east and northeast. There is a sizable and relatively mobile population of Gypsies (Roma), who are found mainly in the eastern part of the country.