Slovakia

In 2024, Slovakia produced 333,900 metric tons (t) of magnesium concentrate, which was a 14.8% decrease compared with that in 2023, and mined a total of 308,100 t of magnesite at three magnesite mines located in Jelsava, Lubenik, and Mutnik. LBK Perlit s.r.o. mined 41,822 t of perlite at its quarry in Lehotka pod Brehmi in 2024. Zeocem s.r.o., the country’s largest zeolite producer by volume, produced 236,660 t of zeolite in 2024, which was about 87% of the country’s total production. 

2024 Report

Full data release with tables here.

In 2024, Slovakia was the world’s first-ranked producer of natural zeolites accounting for 22% of global production, eighth-ranked producer of magnesite accounting for about 1.6% of global production (not including United States production), and seventh-ranked producer of perlite accounting for about 0.9% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included aluminum, cement, clays, copper (secondary), feldspar, ferroalloys, gold, gypsum, pig iron, lime, nitrogen (ammonia), sand and gravel (construction and industrial), silicon metal, silver, steel (raw and semimanufactured), stone (crushed and dimension), and talc. Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). Production of mineral commodities represented only a minor part of the country’s economy. Slovakia’s major trade partners for mineral-related exports by value (Harmonized System chapters 25–27, 71–76, and 78–81) were Czechia, Hungary, and Germany and for mineral-related imports by value were Czechia, Germany, and Russia (Trade Data Monitor, 2025; Londono, 2026; Merrill, 2026; Simmons, 2026). 

The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Slovakia is provided by the Mining Act, No. 44/1988 Coll., on the protection and use of mineral resources, as amended, Act No. 51/1988 Coll. on mining activities, explosives, and the State Mining Administration, as amended, and Act no. 58/2014 on explosives, explosive objects, and ammunition, as amended. The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, the central body of the State Mining Administration, oversees the country’s mineral sector and manages its mineral deposits and energy resources. The Main Mining Office within the Ministry of Economy, in coordination with five subordinate district mining offices, is responsible for monitoring and recording mining activity, issuing mining permits, and regulating mine safety. In 2024, there were a total of 444 registered mining and quarrying enterprises in Slovakia, of which 309 were privately-owned, domestic firms; 48 were firms under foreign control; 2 were domestic, public firms; and the remaining were domestic individuals. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. More-extensive coverage of Government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports—International—Europe and Central Eurasia, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/europ… (Hlavný Banský Úrad, 2025, p. 8; Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, 2026; Hlavný Banský Úrad, undated a–c). 

Commodity Review 

Magnesium Compounds—In 2024, Slovakia produced 333,900 metric tons (t) of magnesium concentrate, which was a 14.8% decrease compared with that in 2023, and mined a total of 308,100 t of magnesite. Magnesite was produced from three mines in the country—a mine in Jelsava operated by Slovenské Magnezitové Závody a.s. Jelsava, a mine in Lubenik operated by Slovmag a.s. Lubenik, and a mine in Mutnik operated by Gemerská Nerudná spol. a.s. Magnesite production from these three mines in 2024 was 253,300 t, 47,800 t, and 7,000 t, respectively (Facilities table; Production table; Hlavný Banský Úrad, 2025, p. 28).  

Perlite—Slovakia produced perlite from one quarry located in Lehotka pod Brehmi, which was owned by LBK Perlit s.r.o. The company produced 41,822 t of perlite in 2024, which was an increase by about 6.5% compared with that in 2023 (Facilities table; Production table; Hlavný Banský Úrad, 2025, p. 90). 

Zeolites.—In 2024, zeolite production increased by about 31.7% to 272,955 t compared with 207,290 t in 2023. Zeocem s.r.o., the country’s largest zeolite producer by volume, produced 236,660 t of zeolite in 2024, which was about 87% of the country’s total production. The company operated a zeolite quarry in Nizny Hrabovec, about 22.5 kilometers southeast of its zeolite processing plant in Bystre (Facilities table; Production table; Hlavný Banský Úrad, 2025, p. 91).  

References Cited 

• Hlavný Banský Úrad, 2025, Správa o činnosti—Hlavného banského úradu a obvodných banských úradov Slovenskej republiky za rok 2024 [Activity report—Main mining office and regional mining offices of the Slovak Republic for the year 2024]: Banska Stiavnica, Slovakia, April 22, 59 p. (Accessed January 28, 2026, at https://www.hbu.sk/files/documents/spravy/2024/hbu_rocna-sprava_2024.pdf.) [In Slovak.] 

• Hlavný Banský Úrad, [undated]a, História vzniku štátnej banskej správy [History of the establishment of the State Mining Administration]: Banska Stiavnica, Slovakia, Hlavný Banský Úrad webpage. (Accessed February 2, 2026, at https://www.hbu.sk/identifikacia-organizacie/historia.) [In Slovak.] 

• Hlavný Banský Úrad, [undated]b, O činnosti hlavného banského úradu [On the activities of the Main Mining Office]: Banska Stiavnica, Slovakia, Hlavný Banský Úrad webpage. (Accessed February 2, 2026, at https://www.hbu.sk/identifikacia-organizacie/o-cinnosti/hlavny-bansky-u….) [In Slovak.] 

• Hlavný Banský Úrad, [undated]c, O činnosti obvodných banských úradov [On the activities of the district mining authorities]: Banska Stiavnica, Slovakia, Hlavný Banský Úrad webpage. (Accessed February 2, 2026, at https://www.hbu.sk/identifikacia-organizacie/o-cinnosti/obvodne-banske-….) [In Slovak.] 

• Londono, Vanessa, 2026, Magnesium compounds: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 120–121. 

• Merrill, A.M., 2026, Zeolites (natural): U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 210–211. 

• Simmons, K.J., 2026, Perlite, U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 140–141. 

• Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, 2026, Institutional units by ESA 2010 and economic activities as of December 31 [og1005rs]: Bratislava, Slovakia, Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic DATAcube database, January 30 (Accessed February 2, 2026, at https://datacube.statistics.sk/#!/view/en/VBD_SK_WIN/og1005rs/v_og1005r….) 

• Trade Data Monitor LLC, 2026, Trade Data Monitor database: Charleston, South Carolina, Trade Data Monitor LLC. (Accessed February 2, 2026, at https://tradedatamonitor.com/.)