Migration changes, Slovenia, 2015

Positive net migration

In 2015, 15,420 people immigrated to Slovenia and 14,913 emigrated from it. Compared to 2014, the number of immigrants was 11% higher and the number of emigrants 4% higher. Net migration was, contrary to the year before, positive: by 507 persons.

For the sixteenth consecutive year negative net migration of citizens of Slovenia was recorded: in 2015, 5,899 citizens of Slovenia more left the country than returned to it. On the other hand, net migration of foreign nationals was positive for the seventeenth year in a row: in 2015, 6,406 more of them immigrated to Slovenia than emigrated from it.
 

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

In 2015, Slovenian citizens immigrated to the country of their citizenship from 89 different countries. The most common countries of previous residence for immigrants with Slovenian citizenship in 2015 were Germany and Austria (17% and 16% respectively), followed by Croatia, Italy and Switzerland.

Citizens of 112 foreign countries immigrated to Slovenia in 2015 from 116 different countries. Most foreign immigrants in 2015 came from Bosnia and Herzegovina (37% of all foreign immigrants); some other common countries of previous residence were Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia.
 

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

Slovenian citizens emigrated to 92 different countries. In 2015 more than a quarter (26%) of Slovenian emigrants left for Austria; some other common countries of next residence were Germany (21%), Switzerland and Croatia.

Citizens of 89 foreign countries emigrated from Slovenia to 87 different countries. Among foreign emigrants, the most common country of next residence was Bosnia and Herzegovina (20%), followed by Croatia (12%), Serbia (11%) and Germany (10%).
 

Late 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 9% of all emigrations in 2015.
 

3.7% fewer internal migrations than in 2014

In 2015, 108,944 internal migrations (i.e. changes of residence within a country) were registered by 97,448 internal migrants (10,967 residents changed their settlement of residence more than once). The number of migrations decreased by 3.7% compared to 2014.

The majority of residents who changed their settlement of residence in 2015 (81%) moved to another municipality; one in five moved to another settlement within the same municipality. Most changes of  settlement of residence were made by Slovenian citizens (nearly 96,200 changes), while foreign citizens recorded over 12,700 changes of residence. Slightly more than a half of internal migrants were 20–39 years old.

In 2015, 4.7% 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-two did so.

In 2015 another 46,861 changes of residence by 43,965 residents were recorded within settlements; statistically these are not counted as migrations. Within Ljubljana 15,005 residents changed their residence at least once, and within Maribor 5,183 residents did so.

 
New in the SI-STAT database

The SI−STAT database contains the series of data on migration. The data series is completed with data for 2015. 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.


Interactive map 1: Total net migration per 1,000 population, municipalities, Slovenia, 2015


Source: SURS (STAGE)