The Obalno-kraška statistical region, which covers 1,043 square kilometres, is among the smallest regions in Slovenia in terms of area. In 2023, around 6% of the population of Slovenia lived there with a population density of 114 inhabitants per square kilometre.
The mean age of the population was 45.5 years, the third highest at the regional level. There were more women than men in the population; the only other such regions were Pomurska and Osrednjeslovenska. Obalno-kraška recorded the lowest number of live births per 1,000 population (7.0). The region recorded a natural decrease (–3.3). The total net migration was 4.6 per 1,000 population, just below the national average. The mean age of first-time mothers was the highest, namely 30.7 years. The mean age of women at the birth of all children was 31.8 years, the highest together with Goriška. The region also had the highest share of women giving birth at the age of 35 or older (27.9%). The total fertility rate (the average number of live births per woman of reproductive age, 15–49 years) was the lowest in this region, at 1.3. Obalno-kraška had the second lowest share of third-born or higher-order children, at 13.8%. The region had the highest share of divorced population, at 8.6%, which was around 3 percentage points higher than in the Koroška region, which had the lowest share. The Obalno-kraška region stood out for the highest share of foreign citizens among the population (14.9%) and for the highest number of immigrants from abroad per 1,000 population (21.3). The share of children aged 1–5 included in kindergartens was the lowest among regions, at 78.8%. The share of the population (25–64 years) with tertiary education was 32.4%, below the average for Slovenia (33.3%). The region had the second lowest number of students per 1,000 population (29) after Pomurska (28). Both regions also had the fewest graduates per 1,000 population (6).
In 2023, the employment rate in Obalno-kraška was 69.2%, just below the national average of 69.3%. At 4.3%, the LFS unemployment rate was among the highest at the regional level. Of the employed persons residing in the region, 22% went to work in other regions, most of them (60%) in Osrednjeslovenska. Average monthly net earnings in the region (EUR 1,401) were about EUR 44 below the national average.
GDP per capita was the second highest in the country (EUR 28,433). The region recorded the second lowest disposable income per capita, EUR 15,704 or 5.5% below the national average. The region had about 15,700 enterprises; on average, each employed 3.1 people, which was the lowest average in the country.
Residents of this region rated their overall life satisfaction at an average of 7.5 (on a scale from 0 to 10), the second lowest score among all regions. A total of 18.5% of population in this region lived with incomes below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, the highest share among all regions. The region also had the highest share of people at risk of social exclusion, at 19.6%, 5.9 percentage points higher than the national average. As regards cars, the region ranked fourth with 606 cars per 1,000 population and an average vehicle age of 11.6 years.
In the region 567 kilograms of municipal waste per capita was generated or 49 kilograms per capita more than on average in Slovenia. 64.2% of municipal waste was collected separately, which was the lowest share among regions.
It was the most popular region for domestic tourists. Of all arrivals and overnight stays by domestic tourists in the country, 25% of arrivals and 28% of overnight stays were generated in this region.