Largest Cities and Towns by Population in Slovakia

55 cities and towns in Slovakia with 15,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by population estimates for December 31, 2025 (by Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic).

RankCity or TownPopulation
1Bratislava480,902
2Košice222,286
3Prešov81,223
4Žilina79,873
5Nitra75,301
6Banská Bystrica73,054
7Trnava63,184
8Trenčín54,104
9Martin50,153
10Poprad48,034
11Prievidza41,959
12Zvolen38,747
13Považská Bystrica36,690
14Nové Zámky35,628
15Michalovce34,894
16Spišská Nová Ves34,023
17Komárno31,560
18Levice30,161
19Liptovský Mikuláš29,710
20Bardejov29,495
21Humenné29,179
22Ružomberok26,099
23Piešťany26,086
24Lučenec24,427
25Pezinok24,340
26Topoľčany23,638
27Dunajská Streda22,720
28Trebišov22,706
29Čadca22,072
30Dubnica nad Váhom21,356
31Rimavská Sobota20,964
32Senec20,260
33Partizánske20,096
34Vranov nad Topľou20,007
35Brezno19,577
36Šaľa19,534
37Hlohovec19,214
38Nové Mesto nad Váhom19,171
39Senica18,970
40Malacky18,742
41Snina17,612
42Dolný Kubín17,378
43Rožňava16,794
44Púchov16,622
45Žiar nad Hronom16,433
46Bánovce nad Bebravou15,872
47Stará Ľubovňa15,534
48Galanta15,402
49Skalica15,358
50Handlová15,289
51Kežmarok14,984
52Sereď14,946
53Kysucké Nové Mesto14,213
54Levoča13,779
55Detva13,416

Source: Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic (2025 estimate), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.

Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.

Tokyo

33,338,852

Urban area

9,953,160

23 wards

Essen

2,709,375

Urban area

573,618

City of Essen

Ankara

3,630,865

Urban area

5,186,002

Metropolitan municipality

What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.

Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.

7 urban areas in Slovakia with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.

RankUrban AreaPopulation Estimate (2026)Yearly ChangeLand Area (km²)Density (P/km²)World RankProjections (2030)Projections (2050)
1Bratislava287,496−0.36%724,0042,045283,346270,737
2Košice216,561−0.08%494,4202,764215,845211,530
3Prešov76,102−0.08%223,4598,29075,86874,356
4Žilina64,798−0.74%183,6409,68862,87858,635
5Banská Bystrica59,182−0.26%173,48110,56758,56455,639
6Trnava55,246−0.81%153,73311,28353,45250,952
7Nitra53,992−0.28%192,84211,53453,37850,912

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.

See also