Past ten years in Slovakia
Over the past ten years in Slovakia, the number of crimes has fallen substantially, from 105,000 in 2008 to last year’s 66,000. The share of solved crimes rose from 43% to 59%. The number of car thefts fell from 4,000 to 1,500. The number of tax frauds, though, rose 3-fold. The average interest rate on housing loans fell from 6% to 1.6%. The average wage rose by €230 to last year’s €950, and the average pension by €140 to €440. The length of highways and speedways rose from 527 km to 745 km. The number of cars on the roads jumped 46% to 2.3m, causing much worse congestion. Cigarette prices rose by a quarter, and the share of smokers in the total population fell by ten points to 26%. The circulation of paper dailies halved, and most of the publishers were sold by reputable foreign media houses to local financial groups. Social media has taken a prominent role, not only on media market. The number of Facebook users rose from 1.2m to 2.2m. The results of the national football team improved markedly, but the performance of the national ice hockey team deteriorated.
