The paper analyses relevant indicators of the living conditions of Slovak inhabitants and evaluates poverty in the Slovak Republic in 1996 by type of settlements. The assessment of poverty was based on Microcenzus (1997) data of average net income per member of household. Incidence, depth and severity of poverty were quantified by headcount, poverty gap and Foster-Greer-Thoerbeck indexes using the World Bank software Povcal. The highest incidence was found in the settlements with 5, 000 to 10,000 inhabitants, which make approx. 6.7 % of the total population of Slovakia. From the viewpoint of extreme poverty, the most serious situation was revealed in the settlements up to 500 inhabitants (approx. 6.1 % of total population). Relatively low was observed in the settlements with a population of over 50,000 (approx. 24.9 % of total population).