Slovakia reports rising municipal debt and stalling crime decline

Slovak municipalities have seen a rise in total debt, which increased by approximately 9.5 percent to 824 million euros. Despite this growth, the average financial health score remained nearly stable at 4.25 out of six points. While total debt rose, current revenues also increased by 4.7 percent, and no municipality exceeded the legal debt limit of 60 percent of current revenues.

In Bratislava, the overall financial rating is significantly impacted by the Devín district, which reported a financial health score of only 1.56 points due to high debt levels relative to income.

Regarding public safety, the long-term decline in crime in Slovakia has stalled. While crime rates dropped by nearly 40 percent over the last decade, the year-on-year decrease was only 0.3 percent. The Košice Region recorded the highest number of crimes, accounting for nearly 18 percent of the national total, and saw a year-on-year increase of 6.1 percent.