László Gyurgyík: The demographic evolution of the Hungarian minority communities in Slovakia in the 20th century. The cause and effects of population decline.

In our study we analysed the demographic changes in the Hungarian population in Slovakia in light of the Slovakian demographic processes. The migration processes of the Hungarian population living within the realms of Czechoslovak and Slovak states were less favourable than the national average. Within the studied period, new marriages and child births were lower than the national average, however, the mortality rate was higher. The Hungarian population was characterized by low reproduction rates, which was respectively replaced by decline from the 90s. In light of unfavourable migration processes, the changes of nationality and assimilation processes became prolonged, a subject which we touched upon only marginally, within the narrow budgetary scope of our research. The migration processes of the Hungarian population have evolved in a contradictory manner. In the period following the two wars, the number of Hungarians in Slovakia declined by more than 200 000, due to migration reasons. An overwhelming majority consisted of refugees, resettlers, deported and those forced to participate in the population exchange. In the times of peace, however, the rate of emigration was lower than the national trends.