Ljubljana related
STA, 30 July 2019 - Slovenia's population stood at 2,084,301 on 1 April, which is 3,400 more than at the start of January, showed the Statistics Office data on Tuesday. The increase however comes on account of a larger number of foreign citizens, with the number of Slovenian citizens in fact decreasing.
The number of Slovenian citizens dropped by 1,600 in the first quarter of 2019, while the number of foreign citizens grew by 5,000 to 143,192 and represented 6.9% of Slovenia's population.
The share of women among Slovenian citizens, which at the start of April stood at some 51%, has been on a slow decline for quite some time.
Related: Foreign Nationals in Slovenia, by Country, Region & Continent
Some 34% of foreign citizens living in Slovenia are women. The share decreased by 1.4 percentage points on January last year after being on the rise for many years.
Slovenia also recorded a markedly positive net migration rate in the first quarter of 2019 - a record number of more than 4,800, while the natural increase was negative (changing from -2.1 per 1,000 population to -2.8 in a year).
Compared to the same period of 2018, the number of immigrants to Slovenia increased by 47% to 7,943 in the first quarter of 2019.
Positive net migration was recorded for foreign nationals (5,273 persons), while 429 Slovene citizens more emigrated from Slovenia than immigrated to it.
More detailed data can be found here, while all our stories on statistics and Slovenia are here
STA, 25 July - Slovenia has been seeing a spike in illegal migration in recent months, but while most of the migrants are being returned to Croatia, the smugglers who helped them across the border are filling up Slovenian prisons.
A report by the news web site of the public broadcaster rtvslo.si cites official data showing that foreigners account for nearly a quarter of Slovenia's prison population. Half of them have been incarcerated for smuggling migrants.
There are currently 323 foreign citizens in Slovenian correction facilities, 177 of them in custody, Prison Administration data show. "Out of 323 foreign citizens, 176 are in prison or in custody on suspicion of organising illegal crossings across the border."
Smuggling of migrants carries up to five years in prison and a fine, while those who make money by facilitating illegal entry of migrants into the country face sentences of up to eight in years in prison.
Slovenian police apprehended more than 200 illegal migrants only last weekend, 122 of them at several small camps in the woods where someone appeared to have left bags with food and basic necessities for them.
Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar commented that this was a case of organised smuggling of migrants, committed both by individuals and smuggling rings.
There are no official statistics on the number of smugglers apprehended, but the General Police Administration told rtvslo.si that they had apprehended 153 smugglers of migrants last year, and as many as 132 by the end of July this year already.
The apprehended smugglers are as a rule remanded in custody, worsening the cramped conditions at Slovenian prison facilities. The capacities are most overcrowded at the prisons in Koper and Novo Mesto, at 128% and 126% capacity utilisation rates.
Foreign prisoners come from 46 countries, while there is also one whose nationality is unknown.
Interior Ministry data show that 1,802 migrants applied for international protection in Slovenia in the first half of the year, which compares to 2,875 the whole last year. Forty have been granted asylum this year and 102 last year.
A total of 680 people who have been granted international protection are living in the country at the moment. Between 1995 and the end of 2018, the status was granted to 818 third country citizens.
All our stories on human trafficking are here, those on illegal migration are here, and those on prison are here
STA, 24 July 2019 - On an average day in 2018 there were 54 births and 56 deaths in Slovenia; 78 people immigrated, 37 people emigrated, there were 20 weddings and 6 divorces, show Statistical Office data.
There were 19,585 live births and 20,485 deaths, in what was the second year in a row with more deaths than births. Most children were born in the summer, while most deaths happened in the winter.
A total of 7,256 couples married in 2018, which is 12% more than in 2017. With as many as 1,100 couples marrying in June, it was the most popular month for weddings in 2018. May, August and September are the only other months in which more than a thousand couples married.
There were 2,347 divorces last year, 1.7% less than in 2017.
More details on this data can be found here, while our other stories on statistics and Slovenia are here
One of the many appealing things about life in Slovenia is the café scene, especially in the warmer months, with a vast number of places where you can sit outside, relax, enjoy a drink, chat with friends, read a book or watch the world go by. But how do Slovenes compare on a global scale when it comes to, say, having coffee, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol?
With regard to coffee, and based on Euromonitor figures for the amount consumed per capita in 2013 (based on the dry weight of coffee, rather than brewed volume), Slovenia comes 4th globally, with 6.1 kg of the caffeinated beans being turned into stimulating beverages for each citizen over a year. The list is topped by Finland (9.6 kg), Norway (7.2 kg), and the Netherlands (6.1 kg). Italy was in 18th place (3.4 kg), France in 21st place (3.2 kg), and the USA 22nd (3.1 kg).
Turning to tobacco, figures from 2016 indicate that Slovenia ranks 12th in the world for annual per capita consumption of cigarettes, at 2236.5 , or 6.1 a day. The list is topped by Andorra (6398.3 a year, 17.5 a day) and Luxembourg (6330.9 a year, 17.3 a day).
According to WHO data from 2010, Slovenia ranked 24th in the world for alcohol consumption, with the list topped by Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania, Russia and Romania, France coming 18th, Croatia 20th, the UK 25th and the USA 48th. However, note that a more recent WHO report, from 2018, found that Slovenia had the highest alcohol consumption in the region defined as the EU, Norway and Switzerland, with alcoholism seen as a serious problem in the country.
Related: Ljubljana Ranks High in European Consumption of Cocaine and MDMA, in Mid-Range for Amphetamines
STA, 17 July 2019 - More than 4,300 Slovenian citizens and some 24,100 foreigners immigrated to Slovenia last year, with the total share of Slovenia's population growth attributable to immigrants being the highest since 2008 - there were almost 15,000 more immigrants than emigrants, shows the Statistics Office data released on Wednesday.
Almost 6,600 Slovenians and more than 6,900 foreigners emigrated in 2018.
The share of immigrants increased by 51% last year compared to 2017, while the share of emigrants dropped by 23%.
The population growth attributable to Slovenian immigrants was negative for the 19th consecutive year - Slovenian emigrants exceeded Slovenian immigrants by almost 2,250 persons, while the immigration trend of foreigners remained positive for the 20th consecutive year.
Most foreigners who came to Slovenia (almost 50%) hailed from Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by citizens from Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Croatia.
On the other hand, Slovenians returning back to the native country usually migrated from Germany and Austria (24% and 17%, respectively), followed by Switzerland, the UK and Italy.
A quarter of Slovenians who moved out of the country in 2018 went to Austria, with the rest emigrating to Germany, Switzerland and Croatia.
Most foreigners who left Slovenia behind moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina (24%), Germany, Serbia and Croatia.
Slovenia's internal migrations decreased by some 7% in 2018 on the previous year, totalling almost 104,000 changes of residence (some 89,500 Slovenians and around 14,500 foreigners).
Almost half of people moving within the country were aged 20-39 years, with the majority (80%) moving to another municipality.
Foreigners were again more mobile than Slovenians - among the former, one out of ten moved at least once in 2018 on average, while one Slovenian out of 24 changed the place of residence on average.
More details on these figures can be found here
STA, 9 July 2019 - Slovenia was placed 12th in this year's report on meeting the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development targets among 162 countries. The country is particularly successful at eliminating extreme forms of poverty and providing access to greener energy sources.
The report was published at the end of June by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network association, under the auspices of the UN, and Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation. The organisations pointed out that this year's results were not comparable to the ones from last year due to a different methodology, with Slovenia ranking 8th in 2018.
According to the government's Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, Slovenia's biggest challenges are implementing measures aimed at eliminating undernourishment, providing for sustainable production and consumerism, mitigating climate change and preserving sea and marine resources.
The results show that four years after setting the targets and three years after signing the Paris Agreement, no country has yet fulfilled all the goals and many areas among 17 global targets have seen a regress.
The report highlights that some countries are inconsistent at implementing relevant measures, particularly the richest ones, which were found to have a negative impact on the progress of less developed ones.
It also warns about a surge in corruption and downward spiral of reducing media freedom, which have been present in some middle-income and high-income countries as well.
The full report can be found here, while the part focusing on Slovenia is here
STA, 23 June 2019 - After years of natural increase in population, Slovenia has seen a natural decrease in population for the second consecutive year in 2018, as the number of births dropped to below 20,000 a year for the first time in a decade.
Data from the Statistics Office show that 19,585 people were born in Slovenia last year and 20,485 died. The number of deaths was 0.1% lower than in 2017, while the number of births dropped by 3.2%.
Average age at death has been increasing gradually, climbing to 77.9 years. On average, men died at 74.1 years, while women died at 81.6 years of age.
Related - Food, Alcohol, Sex, Marriage, Divorce & Death: Recent Statistics on Slovenia
Meanwhile, girls born in Slovenia last year have a life expectancy of 84 years and boys of 78.3 years. Life expectancy has increased by 7.3 years for women and 9.5 years for men over the course of the past three decades, the Statistics Office said.
Early deaths, meaning before the age of 65, accounted for 16.5% of all deaths last year. They accounted for 22.7% of deaths among men and 10.5% among women.
The share of early deaths has always been higher among men, but is declining for both sexes, said the office, adding that in 2008, the figure was at 32.5% for men and 13.1% for women.
Slovenia continues to be among the safest countries in the EU and in general in terms of infant mortality, with only 1.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. In total, 33 babies died last year, of which 22 were boys and 11 girls.
Last year, 10,157 boys were born in Slovenia and 9,428 girls. Ema was the most popular girls' name and Luke continued to reign supreme among boys' names for the 20th consecutive year.
The average age of the mother at the time of her first birth was 29.5 years, keeping with the trend of women deciding to have children at an increasingly later age.
Fifty years ago, most of the women having babies were between 20 and 24 years old, which remained the case up until the 1980s. Last year, most of the women having babies were in the age groups of 25-29 and 30-34.
More than 42% of the mothers were married. Fathers were on average three years older than the mother. Only eight fathers were older than 60 and 47 were younger than 20.
More data on this can be found here
STA, 23 June 2019 - Slovenia-based industrial companies generated EUR 26 billion in revenue last year, 9.4% more than in 2017, data from the Statistics Office show. The office noted however that about 2-3 percentage points should be attributed to the inclusion of additional industries in the index, among them wood processing, metallurgy and machine repairs.
Industrial revenue has been increasing for years. In 2014, it was at 19.4 billion, the year later it climbed to EUR 20.1 billion, to EUR 21.3 billion in 2016 and to EUR 23.7 billion in 2017, the office said.
Companies making cars and trailers have been at the forefront in the recent years as well as in 2018, when they accounted for nearly 15% of total industrial revenue, followed by production of electric devices (11%) and metallurgy (10%).
Some 75% or EUR 19.8 billion in revenue was generated abroad. Companies making cars and trailers generated 93% of their revenue abroad, followed by companies making boats (86%).
On the other hand, beverage makers generated nearly 75% of their revenue on the domestic market, followed by food companies (71%) and publishing companies (64).
More data on this can be found here
STA, 16 June 2019 - Slovenia ranks eighth among 163 countries in the latest Global Peace Index (GPI), having climbed two spots from last year. Iceland remains the world's most peaceful country for the 12th year running.
This year's GPI report finds that the average level of global peacefulness improved slightly in what is the first improvement in five years. However, the world continues to be less peaceful than a decade ago.
Peacefulness improved in 86 countries, deteriorating in 76, with the average level of global peacefulness deteriorating by 3.78% in a decade, according to the report, released on the website of the organisation Vision of Humanity.
Iceland at the top is followed by New Zealand and Portugal, which climbed a spot to come ahead of Austria, which lost a spot to 4th. Denmark ranks 5th.
Slovenia placed after Singapore in 7th and Japan in 9th. Of the neighbouring countries only Austria ranks higher (4th), while Hungary, Croatia and Italy trail in 21st, 28th and 39th spots.
The index ranks three key factors: societal safety and security, ongoing conflicts and militarisation. Slovenia ranked third in militarisation.
Europe has maintained its position as the most peaceful region in the world, which it has held for every year of the GPI, which was first launched in 2007.
By contrast, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remains the least peaceful region for the fifth year in a row, although it did become more peaceful last year.
Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country, replacing Syria, which is now the second least peaceful. South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq are the remaining five least peaceful countries.
Bhutan has recorded the largest improvement of any country in the top 20, rising 43 places in the last 12 years to 15th.
The report is produced by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace and developed in consultation with an international panel of peace experts from peace institutes and think tanks with data collected and collated by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
The GPI covers 99.7% of the global population, using 23 quality and quantity indicators.
The full report can be found here
STA, 28 May 2019 - Slovenia remains level in the latest World Competitiveness Rankings, retaining 37th place among 63 countries after climbing six places last year. While it made gains in business efficiency, government efficiency and development of infrastructure, it fell behind in economic efficiency.
Slovenia slipped four places in economic efficiency to rank 33rd, while gaining seven spots in business efficiency (40th), one spot in infrastructure (27th) and three spots in government efficiency (39th).
"Slovenia's overall ranking is solid," said Sanja Uršič of the Institute of Economic Research, which partners with the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in compiling the index.
But as researcher Peter Stanovnik pointed out, several challenges remain, among them an insufficient scope of investments, tax restructuring and health reform. He also pointed to innovation, staffing and productivity as areas that need to be tackled.
On the other hand, Slovenia performs well in measures such as exports, price competitiveness and education.
Stanovnik said investments had improved, but not enough. "Investments are essential for gains in productivity, which is still 20% behind the European average."
The government efficiency indicator improved due to progress in public finances and legislation governing business, while fiscal policy and the social framework held it back.
The improvement of business efficiency was driven be higher productivity, better management practices and values. The situation on the labour market deteriorated. "This is probably due to changes of the minimum wage act, which employers feel will not achieve their intended purpose," said Mateja Denovšek of the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics.
Gains in infrastructure are the result of higher marks for technological infrastructure and education.
"The overall estimate of Slovenia's attraction is based on a well trained workforce, high education levels and reliable infrastructure," according to Drnovšek.
Singapore tops the IMD rankings, followed by Hong Kong and the US. Statistical indicators account for two-thirds of the grades and survey-based indicators provide one-third of the final estimate; in Slovenia 100 managers responded to the survey.
The full rankings can be seen here
