Slovenia Population 2021
The population of Slovenia (2021) is 2,063,317. This figure is provided by the Slovenian Government (see below for detail).
Slovenia is the 143rd largest country in the world by population and the 38th largest country in Europe. Slovenia, which joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, is the 23rd largest country in the EU (out of 28 countries).
How many people live in Slovenia today?
The Slovenian Government’s Statistical Office releases population estimates four times a year. In its last release (July 2016) it reported that the population of Slovenia on 1 April 2016 was 2,063,371.
This represented a small drop (817 people) in population since 1 January 2016, but an increase of 1,419 since 1 April 2015. This is a year on year increase of 0.07%.
The last census to take place in Slovenia was in 2011. It reported a population of 2,050,189 on 1 January 2011, and all subsequent population estimates are based on data from the census.
Slovenia population growth
Slovenia’s birth rate is below replacement rate. Additionally, around 250,000 Slovenes live abroad, mostly in other parts of the EU.
Because of this, population growth in Slovenia comes from immigration into the country.
According to the Statistical Office there are 108,899 (5.3% of the population) of Slovenia’s citizens were born outside of the EU.
For a table detailing population growth since the 1940s, see the end of this article.
Largest cities in Slovenia
Ljubljana is the largest city in Slovenia, as well as the country’s capital city. On 1 January 2016, the population of Ljubljana was 279,756.
Other major cities are Maribor (population 111,832), Celje (population 37,787), Kranj (population 37,586) and Koper/Capodistria (population 25,306).
Here is a table listing the ten most populous cities in Slovenia.
| City | Population (2016) |
| Ljubljana | 279,756 |
| Maribor | 95,589 |
| Celje | 37,787 |
| Kranj | 37,586 |
| Koper/Capodistria | 25,306 |
| Velenje | 25,019 |
| Novo Mesto | 23,392 |
| Ptuj | 17,769 |
| Trbovlje | 14,028 |
| Kamnik | 13,768 |
Note: Koper, a city on near the border with Italy and with a large Italian population, is called Capodistria in Italian.
Ethnic groups in Slovenia
Slovenes are the largest ethnic group in Slovenia. They made up 83.1% of the population in 2002, the last year for which official data is available.
Slovenia’s history as a former republic of Yugoslavia means that Slovenia has significant Serb, Croat, Muslim and Bosniak minorities.
Slovenia also has small Italian and Hungarian minorities. Unlike minorities from the former Yugoslavia, Italians and Hungarians have rights under the Slovenian Constitution, including guaranteed seats in the National Assembly.
| Ethnic group | Number | Percentage |
| Slovene | 1,631,363 | 83.1% |
| Serb | 38,964 | 2.0% |
| Croat | 35,642 | 1.8% |
| Bosniak | 21,542 | 1.1% |
| Muslim | 10,467 | 0.5% |
| Hungarian | 6,243 | 0.3% |
| Albanian | 3,972 | 0.2% |
| Macedonian | 3,972 | 0.2% |
| Romani | 3,246 | 0.2% |
| Montenegrin | 2,667 | 0.1% |
| Italian | 2,258 | 0.1% |
| Other/undeclared | 201,486 | 10.3% |
Religion in Slovenia
Slovenia is primarily a Roman Catholic country. At the 2002 census (latest data available) 57.8% of Slovenians reported that they were Catholic.
Leaving aside non-religious groups and those who didn’t declare a religion, the next largest religious groups in Slovenia are Islam (2.4%) and Eastern Orthodoxy (2.3%). Islam is practised primarily by Bosniaks and Slavic Muslims, which Eastern Orthodoxy is practised primarily by ethnic Serbs.
| Religion | Percentage |
| Roman Catholic | 57.8% |
| Undeclared | 15.7% |
| Non-religions | 10.2% |
| Unknown | 7.1% |
| Believer, no religion | 3.5% |
| Islam | 2.4% |
| Eastern Orthodox | 2.3% |
| Lutherian | 0.8% |
| Other religion | 0.2% |
Languages in Slovenia
Slovene, which is more commonly known as Slovenian, is the official language of Slovenia, and an official language of the EU. It is the first language of 87.8% of people in Slovenia and is spoken at home by 92% of people.
Other first languages spoken in Slovenia are Croatian (2.8%), Serbian (1.6%), Serbo-Croatian (1.6%), Albanian (0.4%), Macedonian (0.2%), Romany (0.2%).
Hungarian and Italian are also official languages in a number of regions within Slovenia, and are spoken by 0.4% and 0.2% of the population respectively.
| Language | Percentage |
| Slovene / Slovenian | 87.8% |
| Croatian | 2.8% |
| Serbian | 1.6% |
| Serbo-Croatian | 1.6% |
| Albanian | 0.4% |
| Hungarian | 0.4% |
| Italian | 0.2% |
| Macedonian | 0.2% |
| Romany | 0.2% |
Other demographic data
Population density
The area of Slovenia is 20,273 square km or 7,827 sq miles. Based on the population on 1 April 2016 (2,063,371), population density in Slovenia is 101.78 people per square kilometre and 263.62 people per square mile.
Literacy rate
The literacy rate in Slovenia is 99.7%.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy in Slovenia at birth is 80 years. For Slovenian women it is 84 years and for Slovenian men it is 77 years.
Birth and death rate
The birth rate in Slovenia was 10.0 births per 1,000.
This represents an increase over the birth rate at the turn of the century (it was 8.7/1,000 in 2003). But, as noted earlier, Slovenia’s birth rate is lower than needed to maintain the population. Instead, Slovenian population growth is driven by immigration into Slovenia.
The death rate in Slovenia was 9.6 deaths per 1,000.
Slovenia population pyramid
Slovenia population by year (census year)
This table list the population of Slovenia at the time of each census.
| Census year | Population | Percentage change |
| 1948 | 1,391,873 | n/a |
| 1953 | 1,466,425 | 5.36% |
| 1961 | 1,591,523 | 8.53% |
| 1971 | 1,679,051 | 5.50% |
| 1981 | 1,838,381 | 9.49% |
| 1991 | 1,913,355 | 4.08% |
| 2002 | 1,963,036 | 2.65% |
| 2011 | 2,050,189 | 4.39% |
For the latest, post-2011 census, population estimates, see the top of this article.