Slovenia's population projected to decline by 2080

Ljubljana, 28 March - Projections based on 2015 data predict Slovenia will have a population of 1,938,000 in 2080, 6% less than in 2015. As the population ageing continues, the share of people aged 65 and more is expected to almost double from 17.9% to 29% in 2080.

Ljubljana
A detail from the 2016 Festival of Third Age, held at the Cankarjev Dom arts and conference centre.
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek/STA
File photo

According to the projection published by the Statistics Office on Tuesday, Slovenia's population is expected to grow until 2025, when it reaches 2,083,000, and then start declining.

Mostly steady growth is projected for the country's birthrate from 1.57 in 2015 to 1.85 in 2080, and life expectancy at birth is expected to reach 87 for boys and 91 for girls in 2080.

The growing birthrate will thus not outweigh the overall ageing of the population. By 2057 the share of people older than 65 is to reach 31%, after which the figure is to decline by two percentage points by 2080.

The share of children under 15 is to continue to grow for a few years before turning downwards to drop to 13.4% in 20 years. Then it is to pick up again and reach 15.7% by 2080.

The projection, prepared in cooperation with the European statistics office Eurostat, also includes expectations for migration.

In 2080 Slovenia is projected to take in 2400 more people than will leave the country, which is five times the net migration rate of 2015.

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© STA, 2017