Acknowledgment and ascertainment of paternity and adoptions of children, 2021

The highest percentage of acknowledgments of paternity so far

In 2021, 10,423 acknowledgments of paternity were registered in Slovenia (236 or 2% more than a year before). In 84% of cases children were acknowledged before birth. This is the highest percentage so far. In the first month after birth additional 12% of acknowledgments were registered. For 99% of children the acknowledgment of paternity was given before their first birthday. 120 children were older than one year; the oldest were aged 40 years or more.
Fathers who acknowledged paternity were on average 33.8 years old; 27 of them were aged 60 years or more. Those fathers who acknowledged paternity before birth were slightly younger (33.5 years).

More than half adoptions from abroad

In 2021, 40 adoptions were recorded in Slovenia. Before adoption, 17 children lived in Slovenia, while 23 children were adopted from abroad and they lived in five foreign countries (the most, 18, in Sierra Leone).
In 30 of 40 cases the child was adopted by a couple and got both new parents. In seven cases the child was adopted by a spouse/partner of the child’s biological parent. Three children were adopted by a single person.

Table with the latest data is available in the SiStat Database.