Ukrainians in Slovakia contributed twice as much to the state budget as they received in aid.
The war turned Slovakia into one of the key points of support for Ukrainians, but over time another, no less important, economic dimension appeared in this story. It turned out that the presence of Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia has not become a burden, but a catalyst: in 2024, Ukrainians brought twice as much money to the Slovak economy than the state spent on their support.
Contribution of Ukrainians to Slovakia’s budget
As they testify data According to the Institute of Financial Policy under the Government of Slovakia, according to official estimates, Ukrainian citizens in 2024 added 217 million euros to the state budget, while the total costs for their support amounted to 98 million euros. Spending was directed primarily to housing, social assistance, education and integration of children.
What is important is that two-thirds of these funds were covered by European Union funds. 217 million euros is not an abstract amount, but the result of the active participation of Ukrainians in Slovakia’s economy. Part of this amount is income tax paid from legal employment. Then there are VAT and excise taxes, which come to the budget from every purchase: from bread to technology. Mandatory social contributions are taken into account separately — they are paid by both employees and employers. Thus, every employed person from Ukraine not only provides for himself, but also directly supports the Slovak budget system.
In total, Slovakia spent 98 million euros on the needs of Ukrainians. The main expenditure items are housing, education, integration of children, basic social services. The government emphasizes that this is not charity, but a purposeful policy of adaptation: instead of isolation — integration, instead of detention — inclusion in social life.
Special attention is paid to children. Adaptation programs have been created in the country’s schools, children learn Slovak, participate in clubs, and pass exams at the same level as local schoolchildren. It is these investments that form a new generation — socially included and linguistically adapted.
Ukrainians on the labor market: not temporary, but systemic
According to the Slovak authorities, Ukrainians make up 40% of all employed foreigners in the country. This means that almost every second foreigner working in Slovakia is a Ukrainian. In general, we are talking about tens of thousands of people who officially work in industry, trade, logistics, services and healthcare.
The Slovak labor market experiences a chronic shortage of personnel, especially in the manufacturing sectors. And it is Ukrainian workers who fill critical vacancies that cannot be closed by the forces of the internal market. This situation forces the government to consider Ukrainians not as temporary migrants, but as part of a long-term solution to the personnel problem.
Slovakia as an example of rational migration policy
Slovakia’s experience is an eloquent answer to the question: can refugees be useful for the host country? Numbers are the best argument. Ukrainians not only do not deplete Slovakia’s resources, but also bring direct budgetary benefits, support the economy and reduce pressure on social systems.
This example has a chance to change the public perception of forced migration: from “cost” to “mutually beneficial partnership”. And while Ukrainians continue to build their lives in a new place, Slovak society is already beginning to reap the benefits of the decisions made in the first days of the war — with respect, openness and rationality.
State aid for Ukrainians in Slovakia
State aid for Ukrainians in Slovakia in 2024 amounted to 98 million euros. It would seem that the amount is considerable, but two-thirds of this aid was financed from the funds of the European Union. The largest expenses fell on covering the costs of accommodation, education and integration programs for children. Slovakia’s state strategy is based on the fact that helping refugees is not just a humanitarian gesture, but an investment in the future. An investment that has already started paying dividends.
Special attention to children. Ukrainian children study in Slovak schools, participate in adaptation programs, learn the language, and integrate into the local system. This integration is considered one of the most successful in Europe: Slovakia was able to organize a space where a child from Ukraine does not feel alien.
Adaptation of Ukrainians in Slovakia
Hundreds of Ukrainian families in Slovakia have opened private mini-schools, support centers, online stores, design studios, and consulting services. Some of them went through the self-employment legalization program. Others took advantage of the opportunity to create a micro-enterprise, avoiding complex procedures and accessing local financial services.
Freelance is especially actively developing. Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer or Toptal have become a mainstay for those who have knowledge but do not want to be tied to one place. Slovakia provides digital infrastructure, access to bank accounts, the ability to work legally — and this is the key to the successful adaptation of Ukrainian specialists.
The example of Slovakia demonstrates that Ukrainians have not become a burden, as populists often claim. On the contrary, they have become an asset for the economy, a source of taxes and labor, innovation and entrepreneurial ideas. Investments in their integration have already paid off — and continue to return to the state in the form of new workers, taxes and social contributions.
Against the background of the pan-European debate on migration, Slovakia’s experience is the answer: if conditions for decent work, respect and development are created, people from Ukraine not only integrate, but also begin to build a new future together with those who accepted them.
