In terms of the area, the Goriška statistical region covers almost the same surface area as the Osrednjeslovenska statistical region, but it has almost five times less population. In 2021, the population of this region represented 6% of the population of Slovenia as a whole. The region is among the least densely populated regions with on average 51 people per square kilometre. The mean age of the population in this region (45.3 years) was the second highest behind Pomurska (46.1 years). This means that the age structure of the population was less favourable. The share of the population aged 65 or more (23.6%) was also the second highest behind Pomurska. The aging index was among the highest: 158. This means that per 100 children (i.e. persons under the age of 15), there were on average 158 persons aged 65 or more. The share of live births outside marriage was among the lowest (53.7%). The share of children aged 1–5 included in kindergartens was the lowest (77.5%). Besides Osrednjeslovenska, the Goriška had the highest number of students per 1,000 population (38).
In 2021, inhabitants of the Goriška region, as well as of Gorenjska and Osrednjeslovenska, assessed general satisfaction with their life with the highest average score, i.e. 7.8 (out of 10). In Goriška the share of older dwellings is the highest in the country. About 30% of occupied dwellings were built before 1945, which is about 13 percentage points more than the national average. Dwellings that were in bad condition (problems such as a leaking roof, damp walls/floors/foundation, or rot in window frames or the floor) were inhabited by 21% of households, which was one percentage point higher than the national average.
In 2021, 17% of persons in employment in this region worked outside the region of residence. Only one region, Osrednjeslovenska, had a lower rate, namely 10%. The employment rate was the third lowest in the country at 69.3%. The number of passenger cars per 1,000 population was the highest in the country (629), as was their average age (12 years). In 2021, 515 kg of municipal waste per capita was generated, which was 3 kg less than the national average; 68% of municipal waste was collected separately, which was one of the lowest shares among the regions. Households in the region were supplied 42.6 cubic metres of water per capita from the public water supply. The share of wastewater treated before discharge from the sewage system (66.5%) was the third lowest. In 2021, the region had the lowest number of convicted persons (adults and juveniles) per 1,000 population (1.5).
Of all regions, Goriška has the largest area of vineyards, almost 4,000 hectares or 26% of the nation’s total.