As a landlocked country, the Blue Economy is not a main contributor to the Slovakian national economy as a whole. Nonetheless, the established sectors of the Blue Economy directly employ almost 13 500 people and generate around €481 million in GVA in Slovakia (2022). The Blue Economy has a limited impact on the Slovakian economy, representing approximately 0.5% of national employment and GDP in 2021.
This notwithstanding, the share of Blue Economy-related activities in the national economy has increased steadily since 2009. In absolute terms, employment nearly doubled in 2022 from a workforce of about 7 300 people in 2009 (0.1% of national employment). For its part, GVA registered a 7-fold increase from €65 million in 2009 (0.1% of national GVA). The Slovakian Blue Economy's performance was not significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, losing only 2.2% of its jobs, which were regained by 2021.
Since it does not have a coastline or direct access to the sea, Slovakia contributes indirectly to the EU Blue Economy through its river systems, particularly the Danube River. It engages in maritime-related activities, including inland waterway transport, shipbuilding, and fisheries. The Port of Bratislava is the most important cargo and passenger port in Slovakia. Located on the international Danube watercourse, it serves as a strategic hub on the Rhine-Danube and Baltic-Adriatic Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). Other vital ports on the Slovakian segment of the Danube River are the ports of Komarno and Sturovo.
The sector that contributed most to the Slovakian Blue Economy is Port-related activities (mainly through the Port of Bratislava), which accounted for 70% of the national Blue Economy GVA and 60% of the national Blue Economy employment in 2022. The second-largest contributing sector is the Marine Living Resources sector (mainly distribution and processing of fish products), accounting for 25% of Blue Economy GVA and 35% of employment, respectively. Next is waterborne transport, which represents 4% of the country’s Blue Economy GVA and employment. It is followed by Shipbuilding and repair, which employs approximately 1% of the national Blue Economy workforce.
Several organisations collaborate to monitor, research, and protect aquatic ecosystems in the Slovak Republic while supporting economic growth in related sectors. This includes the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which oversees, inter-alia, the implementation of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) in Slovakia, and the Slovak Environment Agency, focusing on environmental management in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.
Other national sources of complementary information on the Slovakian Blue Economy are:
This interactive dashboard presents the evolution of the blue economy for Slovak Republic. It is designed to provide insights into key economic indicators over time.
At the top of the dashboard, there is a drop-down menu that allows users to select one of the following data categories:
- Employment: Number of jobs and workforce trends in the blue economy sectors.
- Gross Value Added (GVA): The contribution of the blue economy to the national economy.
- Turnover and Gross Profit: Revenue and profitability metrics of blue economy industries.
- Investment: Capital investment levels in blue economy sectors.
Once a category is selected, the main panel updates to display relevant visualisations, such as line charts or bar graphs, showing trends over time. These visualisations are accompanied by labels, legends, and tooltips to ensure clarity and accessibility.
The dashboard is navigable via keyboard and compatible with screen readers. All interactive elements are clearly labeled, and data visualisations include alternative text descriptions summarising key insights.