Mining by country

Mining in Slovakia

Mining in Slovakia: the public figures we hold so far. The World Bank puts mineral rents close to zero (2021) and ores and metals at 1.8% of merchandise exports (2025). No world production share, mine or listed company project is recorded here yet.

Mineral rents0%of GDP, 2021. Higher than 60% of countries.
Ores and metals1.8%of merchandise exports, 2025.
Governance, World Bank WGI 2025
  • Rule of law+0.45above 64% of countries
  • Political stability+0.67above 67% of countries
  • Regulatory quality+0.38above 69% of countries
  • Control of corruption+0.06above 56% of countries
Estimates from −2.5 to +2.5; the bar sits at the country's score.

Mining in Slovakia at a glance

Mining jobs8,5002019. Mining and quarrying, down 26% on 2018.Source: USGS
First recorded mining
Late Bronze Age, 10th-8th centuries BC (Banska Stiavnica area). ICOMOS says the ores were probably worked in the Late Bronze Age, again in the Iron Age and certainly in the 9th century AD. Source: ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Defining moment
First use of gunpowder in mining at Banska Stiavnica, 1627. ICOMOS calls the 1627 blasting at Banska Stiavnica an important breakthrough in mining technology. Source: ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Mining law
Act on Mineral Protection and Exploitation (No. 44/1988, the Mining Act). Amended by Act 285/2014; Act 51/1988 covers mining safety and state mining administration; the Geological Act is No. 569/2007. Source: USGS
UNESCO mining heritage
Historic Town of Banska Stiavnica and the Technical Monuments in its Vicinity (1993). Slovakia's oldest mining town. Source: ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Main mines
Kremnica (Rozalia mine, Sturec gold project), Hodrusa-Hamre, Roznava mine (Gemerska Poloma), Cigel mine Source: USGS

Official sitesGeological survey

Mining employment from the ILO usually counts all of mining and quarrying, often with oil and gas; national shares of GDP and exports are as each source defines them.

History of mining in Slovakia

What the ground holds. zeolites, magnesite, gold, silver, barite, talc, feldspar, perlite, dolomite, gypsum, coal, cement, steel and aluminium. Source: USGS

Famous mines in Slovakia

People who shaped mining in Slovakia

How prospectors changed the worldThe full mining timeline

Mining elsewhere in Europe

RussiaSpainSwedenGermanyNorwayPolandAustriaPortugalFranceUkraine

World shares: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, latest year per mineral. Mineral rents, exports and governance: World Bank WDI and WGI. Trade: CEPII BACI. Projects: listed companies' announcements.

Keep exploring

Stories from Slovakia and its minerals

A row of rock blasts erupting along a quarry face, throwing dust and stones into the airEquipmentDrilling and blastingDrilling and blasting · Open pit and undergroundThe world runs on rockThe BatteryInside a lithium-ion cellThe Big Hole at Kimberley, South Africa, seen from above, with water at the bottomMining historyThe Big Hole, KimberleyDiamonds · South AfricaThe world runs on rockThe ChipThe minerals inside every computer chip

All mining storiesThe world runs on rockAll mineralsMining by country

Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Drilling and blasting by Siim Roov, CC BY-SA 4.0; The Big Hole by Rudolph Botha, CC BY-SA 3.0.