World population day

In 1987 the world’s population exceeded five billion. Two years later the United Nations proclaimed 11 July the World Population Day. The day is dedicated to the reflection about the issues related to the population as well as the attitude of the population towards the environment and development and strengthening awareness of these issues.

Global population growth is slowing down

Global population growth was the fastest in the 1960s at the average rate of 2% per year. Since then the growth has been slowing down. In 2019 the population is expected to increase by about 82 million or 1.1%. This year 140.1 million children are expected to be born and 58.4 million people are expected to die.

Population growth is not even around the world. The population of Africa is growing the most rapidly as the annual number of births is four times the annual number of deaths. In Europe growth is only minimal, since more people die than are born and population increase is only possible because immigration exceeds emigration.


Slovenia’s population is also growing

Slovenia’s population is less than 0.03% of the world’s population. In the past 50 years Slovenia’s population grew by about 370,000 or about a third. In the past ten years Slovenia’s population grew by almost 50,000. This is a many people as are living in the fifth largest municipality in Slovenia, i.e. Celje.

In the past ten years 211,000 children were born and 194,000 people died in Slovenia. Over 31,000 people more immigrated to Slovenia than emigrated from it. In 2018 the population increased by about 14,000, i.e. as many as are living in municipality Logatec and almost as many as are living in the city of Kamnik.

According to Eurostat’s EUROPOP2018 projections, Slovenia’s population is expected to increase until 2023 and then gradually decease. In 2055 Slovenia is expected to have a population of fewer than two million.


Population is ageing all over the world 

Lower fertility and longer life expectancy lead to population ageing. Globally, there are about 36 people aged 65+ per 100 children under 15 years of age. In 2056, when the world's population is expected to exceed 10 billion, the global ageing index will be nearly 84; only in Africa the number of children will greatly exceed the number of older people (the ageing index is expected to be 21).

In almost all EU Member States the number of people aged 65+ already exceeds the number of children under 15 years of age. The ageing index in Slovenia is 131.7, meaning there are more than 131 older people per 100 children.

According to EUROPOP2018 projections, in 2033 the ageing index in Slovenia is expected to be over 200, so twice as many older people as children. At that time the EU population is expected to be 522 million, with older people outnumbering children by 1.6-times.