Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 18/2/2026; Author: Aljaž Primožič
The latest available data from the Slovenian Statistical Office (SURS) show that the peak occurred in 2013, when approximately 291,000 residents were below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold.
On 3 February, Eva Irgl, vice president of Anže Logar’s Democrats, an opposition party, said during a pre-election discussion with opposition representatives on the Radio Slovenia news show Studio ob 17 that “the number of people living below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold [in Slovenia] is the highest yet”. She made the remark while responding to a question about what would motivate voters to turn out in the upcoming general elections.
SURS explained in a 2016 methodological note that European statistical offices measure relative poverty, meaning they assess “how many people are poor compared to others.”
The indicator used is the at-risk-of-poverty rate, which reflects the share of people living in households whose net disposable income falls below the poverty threshold, SURS told Razkrinkavanje.si. Net disposable income includes the earnings of all household members minus certain transfers paid and taxes, it explains in its methodological notes.
Although the oldest statistical data on the at-risk-of-poverty threshold covers the period 1997–2004, changes in methodology mean those figures are not directly comparable with more recent statistics, which are available from 2005 onward, according to SURS. This analysis therefore focuses on the past two decades.
To provide a clearer picture, SURS estimates the absolute number of people below the threshold. Between 2005 and 2024, the highest figure, about 291,000, was recorded in 2013. While this number has risen in the past five years, it stood at 276,000 in 2024, still below the 2013 peak, their figures show.
SURS noted that, for the purposes of planning policy measures and assessing their impact on vulnerable groups, the number of people below the threshold is often more useful than the rate itself.
Data for 2025 were not yet available at the time of publication. SURS told Razkrinkavanje.si they would be released on 19 February.
For a more comprehensive assessment of living standards, SURS recommends monitoring additional indicators, including severe material and social deprivation, very low work intensity, and measures of life satisfaction and household financial well-being. None of these indicators suggested a record-low standard of living in 2024, according to our findings.
We have informed Irgl of our findings and will publish her response once we have received it.
The claim that the number of people living below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold in Slovenia is the highest yet is false, according to the latest publicly available data.
According to the methodology of Razkrinkavanje.si, it is also unfounded, as the current data for 2025 is not yet publicly available.
