Slovakia: Tiger vs Bear

Slovakia was called a "Tatra Tiger" in the 2002 – 2007 period. The Tatra mountains are a national symbol and the “tiger” represents one of the highest GDP growths in the EU following serious economic reforms.  

There are no tigers living in the Slovakian wilderness, however. The Slovakian mountains are the home of brown bears. Tigers and bears crossed their routes in Slovakia in 2023 and as absurd as it sounds, the fight was real. 

Our 1.3% estimated GDP growth in 2023 is a far cry from the 10.8% in 2007, although it is above the EU average. As 2023 was a year of early parliamentary elections, economic growth was widely discussed, inflation and poverty became key campaign topics and a few even explicitely mentioned the Tatra Tiger. Bears were, however, mentioned more often, as there were a few cases of bear attacks in past years including some in 2023. It seemed for a moment that bears would become a key theme of political campaign. 

Tiger vs Bear was a fight of priorities. A fight between real challenges and populist topics. Slovakia is very vulnerable to disinformation and misinformation, as was proven by several Ipsos and other research programs. European institutions, NGOs, universities and private companies such as Google have all been Slovakia’s public opinion on essential topics such as support of EU or NATO membership.  

The elections are now over in Slovakia. We have many challenges ahead and it seems that the tiger is now discussed more than bears. Nevertheless, thanks to a new Volvo EV factory, a new nuclear reactor and some other positive economic highlights of 2023, the tiger is still alive – although sleeping at the moment. 

Jakub Hankovský

Country Manager, Ipsos in Slovakia