Sustainable development indicators, Slovenia, 2019

This year marks five years since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, which was adopted in 2015 by the member states of the United Nations. In a balanced way, it combines three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. Its 17 Sustainable Development Goals cover five crucial areas for humanity and the planet: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership.

The so far achieved values of selected indicators with which we monitor the progress in achieving the sustainable development goals for Slovenia are:

PEOPLE – End poverty and hunger in all forms and ensure dignity and equality

• In 2019, the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Slovenia was 12%. This means that about 243,000 people were living below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, which is 25,000 fewer than in the previous year.
• The share of utilized agricultural areas with organic farming or in conversion was 10.4% in 2019. Compared to 2018, it increased by 0.3 of a percentage point.
• Among adults, in 2019 there were 17.4% regular and 5.8% occasional smokers. Compared to 2014, the share of regular smokers decreased by 1.5 percentage points, while the share of occasional smokers increased by 0.4 of a percentage point.
• In 2019, 44.9% of the population aged 30–34 had tertiary education, 2.2 percentage points more than in 2018.
• In the first quarter of 2020, women held 22.1% of seats in the national parliament. The highest share was recorded in 2015, at 28.5%.

PLANET – Protect our planet's natural resources and climate for future generations

• The share of total population having neither a bath, nor a shower, nor indoor flushing toilet in their household and living below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold in 2019 decreased compared to 2018 by 0.1 of a percentage point to 0.4%.
• In 2019, a resident of Slovenia discarded on average 67 kg of food or 1 kg less than in 2018.
• Slovenia reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 14.1% between 1986 and 2018.
• In 2019, the share of inland bathing water with excellent quality was 69% and the share of marine bathing water with excellent quality 95%. Compared to 2018, the share decreased in both inland bathing water (by 8 percentage points) and marine bathing water (by 5 percentage points).
• In 2019, forest area represented 58.1% of total land area; in recent years, the share has not changed significantly.

PROSPERITY – Ensure prosperous and fulfilling lives in harmony with nature

• In 2019, the final energy consumption in households per capita decreased by 3.4% compared to 2018 and was 5,886 kWh.
• The long-term unemployment rate in 2019 was 2.1%, the lowest since 2009. Compared to 2018, it decreased by 0.2 of a percentage point.
• In 2019, 25,072 persons worked in research and development, or 6.1% more than in 2018.
• In 2019, 3,821 asylum applications were submitted and 85 were granted. Compared to 2018, there were 32.9% more applications and 16.7% fewer granted applications.
• The share of population living in households that are suffering from noise coming from neighbours or from the street (traffic, factories, companies, etc.) was 15% in 2019, the same as a year earlier.

PEACE – Foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies

• In 2019, the level of confidence of Slovenian citizens in the European Parliament was 44%. The level of confidence in the European Commission was 35%. Compared to the previous year, the level of confidence in the European Parliament went up by 6 percentage points, while the level of confidence in the European Commission went down by 1 percentage point.

PARTNERSHIP – Implement the agenda through a solid global partnership

• In 2019, Slovenia spent 0.16% of its gross national income on official development assistance, the same as a year earlier.

More information can be found on the updated SURS website dedicated to the sustainable development goals indicators and in the SiStat Database.