Income, poverty and social exclusion indicators, Slovenia, 2017

268,000 people below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold in 2017
According to the 2017 Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Slovenia was 13.3%. This means that in 2017 about 268,000 people in Slovenia were living below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, which is 12,000 fewer than in the previous year.

The annual at-risk-of-poverty threshold for a one-member household was set at EUR 7,628; the net disposable monthly income of people below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold was thus below EUR 636 per equivalised adult person. The threshold for a four-member family with two adults and two children younger than 14 was set at EUR 1,335 per month and the threshold for a two-member household without children at EUR 954 per month.

Compared to the previous year, the at-risk-of-poverty rate decreased by 0.6 of a percentage point. The at-risk-of-poverty threshold increased by EUR 232 per year. The calculation is based on the income earned in 2016, since 2016 was the income reference year for the 2017 survey. In 2016 the mean disposable household income increased, so did the median equivalised disposable household income and also the at-risk-of-poverty threshold. The Gini coefficient decreased by 0.7 p.p. and the quintile share ratio by 0.2 over the previous year. Therefore, we can infer that income was slightly more equally distributed among households.

Among the 268,000 persons below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, 78,000 were retired (15.9% of all retired persons), 54,000 of them were women and 23,000 men, 56,000 were persons in employment (6.6% of all persons in employment), 32,000 of them were employed and 24,000 self-employed, 51,000 were unemployed (41.8% of all unemployed persons), 49,000 were underage children (12.8% of all children) and 34,000 were other persons (19.1% of all persons unable to work, homemakers, students, other inactive and unclassified persons).

Social transfers still lower the at-risk-of-poverty rate
If social transfers - family and social benefits - were not considered as income, the at-risk-of-poverty rate would amount to 24.0%. If also pensions were subtracted from income, the at-risk-of-poverty rate would increase to as much as 41.5%. The impact of social transfers on decreasing the at-risk-of-poverty rate was 0.3 of a percentage point and the impact of pensions 0.6 of a percentage point larger than in the previous year. These data show that in Slovenia social transfers including pensions still have an important impact on decreasing the at-risk-of-poverty rate. 

Average annual household income higher
The average annual net disposable household income amounted to EUR 22,256 and was thus EUR 701 higher than in the previous year. The average annual disposable income per household member increased by EUR 258 (to EUR 8,990) and the average equivalised disposable income per household member calculated with the OECD modified equivalence scale increased by EUR 392 (to EUR 13,585).

Average disposable income in Zahodna Slovenija was higher than that in Vzhodna Slovenija. The average income per household member was the highest in the Osrednjeslovenska (EUR 9,859) and Obalno-kraška (EUR 9,847) statistical regions and the lowest in the Posavska (EUR 8,360) and Pomurska (EUR 8,440) statistical regions. Compared to the previous year, it increased in all 12 statistical regions, the most in Goriška and Posavska, the least in Koroška and Osrednjeslovenska.

Income from employment (59.4%) and pensions (22.5%) represented the largest shares in total disposable household income, followed by family and social benefits (10.3%). The lowest shares in total disposable household income were represented by income from self-employment (5.5%) and capital and other income (2.2%). Compared to the previous year, the shares of pensions and capital and other income in the total disposable household income slightly decreased, while the shares of income from employment, self-employment and family and social benefits in the total disposable household income slightly increased.

345,000 people at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion
Compared to the previous year, the at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate decreased by 1.3 percentage points. It was 17.1%, so about 345,000 people in Slovenia were at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion in 2017, i.e. 26,000 fewer than in the previous year. Fewer persons than a year before were at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion due to the decrease in all three social exclusion indicators: the at-risk-of-poverty rate by 0.6 p.p., the severe material deprivation rate by 0.8 p.p. and the very low work intensity rate by 1.2 p.p. 

The at-risk-of-poverty rate and the social exclusion rate the highest in the Posavska and Podravska statistical regions
The at-risk-of-poverty rate was the highest in the Posavska (18.5%) and Podravska (16.4%) statistical regions, and the lowest in the Primorsko-notranjska (8.4%) and Goriška (9.8%) statistical regions. Most people at-risk-of-poverty lived in the Osrednjeslovenska (60,000) and Podravska (52,000) statistical regions, and the fewest in the Primorsko-notranjska (4,000) and Zasavska (7,000) statistical regions. Compared to the previous year, the share of persons below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold decreased in 7 statistical regions and increased in 5 (Obalno-kraška, Posavska, Podravska, Koroška and Savinjska). 

At-risk-of-poverty rate, statistical regions, Slovenia, 2017

The at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate was the highest in the Posavska and Podravska statistical regions (21.2% in both), and the lowest in the Primorsko-notranjska (10.8%) and Goriška (12.7%) statistical regions. Most people at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion lived in the Osrednjeslovenska (73,000) and Podravska (68,000) statistical regions, and the fewest in the Primorsko-notranjska (5,000) and Obalno-kraška (11,000) statistical regions. Compared to the previous year, the share of persons at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion decreased in 10 statistical regions and increased in 2 (Obalno-kraška and Pomurska).