Migration changes, Slovenia, 2018

Positive net migration

In 2018, 28,455 people immigrated to Slovenia and 13,527 emigrated from it. Compared to 2017, the number of immigrants was 51% higher, and the number of emigrants was 23% lower. Net migration in 2018 was the highest since 2008: 14,928 more persons more immigrated to the country than emigrated from it.

For the nineteenth consecutive year negative net migration of citizens of Slovenia was recorded: in 2018, 2,241 citizens of Slovenia more left the country than returned to it. On the other hand, net migration of foreign nationals was positive for the twentieth year in a row: in 2018, 17,169 more of them immigrated to Slovenia than emigrated from it.

Most Slovenian citizens immigrated from Germany, most foreigners from Bosnia and Herzegovina

The most common countries of previous residence for immigrants with Slovenian citizenship in 2018 were Germany and Austria (24% and 17% respectively), followed by Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Italy.

Most foreign immigrants in 2018 came from Bosnia and Herzegovina (49% of all foreign immigrants); some other common countries of previous residence were Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Croatia. 
 

Most Slovenian citizens to Austria, most foreigners to Bosnia and Herzegovina 

In 2018, a quarter (26%) of emigrants with Slovenian citizenship left for Austria; some other common countries of next residence were Germany (20%), Switzerland and Croatia.  

Among foreign emigrants, the most common country of next residence was Bosnia and Herzegovina (24%), followed by Germany (12%), Serbia and Croatia (11% each). 

Data on socioeconomic characteristics of international migrants will be published on 19 December 2019. 
 

Non-registration of emigration

The continuous relatively high number of emigrants is partly due to administrative de-registrations of residence for persons who actually emigrated years ago. Such de-registrations of residence accounted for about 5% of all emigrations in 2018. 

7.5% fewer internal migrations than in 2017

In 2018, 103,961 internal migrations (i.e. changes of residence within a country) were registered by 93,610 internal migrants (9,913 residents changed their settlement of residence more than once). The number of migrations decreased by 7.5% compared to 2017.

The majority of residents who changed their settlement of residence in 2018 (80%) moved to another municipality; one in five moved to another settlement within the same municipality. Most changes of residence were made by Slovenian citizens (89,500 changes), while foreign citizens recorded nearly 14,500 changes of residence. Slightly under a half of internal migrants were 20–39 years old.

In 2018, 4.5% of Slovenian population changed their settlement of residence at least once. Compared to citizens of Slovenia, foreign citizens are a more mobile population group: one in ten foreign citizens changed the settlement of residence at least once, while among Slovenian citizens one in twenty-four did so.

In 2018 another 46,277 changes of residence by 42,788 residents were recorded within settlements; statistically these are not counted as migrations. Within Ljubljana 14,600 residents changed their residence at least once, and within Maribor 5,299 residents did so.

 

New in the SiStat database

The SiStat database contains the series of data on migration. The data series is completed with data for 2018. The latest data on international and internal migration, migration change and total increase are now available. A lot of data are available for several territorial levels.