Qualified statistical estimates indicate that about 400 000 Roma live in the Slovak Republic, which is about 7.45% of the total population.

In spite of the fact that Roma people in Slovakia are ethnically, socially and culturally variegated, the majority population perceives them in general as a single group. The actual or supposedly different culture of the Roma minority and its general way of life create tension between the majority population and the Roma. Diversity of the Roma is perceived negatively by the rest of the population. There prevails an opinion on the part of the majority population that a significant proportion of the Roma population does not want to or cannot adapt to social norms, and the Roma have a feel of threat and exclusion.

High unemployment rate of a large part of the Roma population, low education levels, and high need to rely on the social-welfare system create real barriers to inclusion. The part of the Roma population, where several disadvantages accumulate, faces particular problems. At risk of poverty are mainly children and young people from the marginalized milieu, whose chances of inclusion are low. Segregated education also means decreased chances of attaining at least secondary education, and without education the chances to find jobs in the labour market are very low. Living in substandard conditions also affects health: it is estimated that the average age expectancy of Roma is ten years lower than that of the majority population.