Demographic history of Slovenia

This article presents the Demographic history of Slovenia, with census results where available. See Demographics of Slovenia for a more detailed overview of the current demographics from 2002 census.

Pre WWII

There are censuses for the years 1830, 1857, and 1869. Population censuses were then carried out every ten years, in 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1921, and 1931. [1]

1830

Slovenia was divided between the Austrian regions of Carniola, Austrian Littoral, Styria and Carinthia, not counting the Hungarian-owned Prekmurje region. In Styria, there were 342,013 Slovenians, or 38.72% of the population [2].

Second half of 19th century

As a result of the rise of German nationalism, which entailed germanizing school networks, economic coercion, and language shift for economic or social reasons, the number of Slovenians in Slovenia went from 96% in 1846, 85.5% in 1880, 84.6% in 1890 and 87.3% in 1900 to 81.7% in 1910. These developments were particularly visible in southern Carinthia, today mostly a part of Austria, largely due to the developing tourist industry on the lakes of the Klagenfurt basin. Similar developments took place in the Prekmurje region, which was then a part of Royal Hungary, with Hungarian replacing German as the prestigious language.

1910

Data shows the following results... [3]

• 82% Slovenians
• 10% Germans (106,000)
• 2% Italians
• 1.5% Hungarians

Interwar Period

1921

In the first census of the former Yugoslavia in 1921. The area of the Drava Banovina had the following groups... they were counted according to their mother tongue... 1,054,919 total, of which the following language groups were...

• 980,222 Slovenian
• 41,514 German
• 14,429 Hungarian
• 11,898 Serbian and Croatian
• 2,941 Czechoslovakian
• 1,630 Russian
• 701 Italian
• others

1931

In Yugoslavia in 1931 only religious groups were counted. The Drava Banovina had... 1,144,298 total, of which...

• 1,107,155 Catholic
• 25,717 Evangelic/Protestand
• 6,745 Orthodox
• 927 Islam
• 3,754 others

Post WWII

1948

1,391,873 total, of which...

• 1,350,149 (97.00%) Slovenians
• 16,069 (1.15%) Croats
• 10,579 (0.76%) Hungarians
• 7,048 (0.51%) Serbs

1953

1,466,425 total, of which...

• 1,415,448 (96,52%) Slovenians
• 17,978 (1.26%) Croats
• 11,225 (0.76%) Serbs
• 11,019 (0.75%) Hungarians
• 1,663 (0.11%) Romani people
• 1,617 (0.75%) Muslims
• 1,356 (0.09%) Montenegrins
• others

1961

1,591,523 total, of which...

• 1,522,248 (95.65%) Slovenians
• 31,429 (1.97%) Croats
• 13,609 (0.85%) Serbs
• 10,498 (0.66%) Hungarians
• 2,784 (0.17%) Yugoslavs
• 1,384 (0.09%) Montenegrins
• 1,009 (0.06%) Macedonians
• 13,425 (0.71%) Muslims
• others

1971

1,727,137 total, of which...

• 1,624,029 (94.03%) Slovenians
• 42,657 (2.47%) Croats
• 20,521 (1.19%) Serbs
• 9,785 (0.57%) Hungarians
• 6,744 (0.39%) Yugoslavs
• 3,231 (0.19%) Muslims
• 1,978 (0.11%) Montenegrins
• 1,613 (0.09%) Macedonians
• 1,281 (0.07%) Albanians
• others

1981

1,891,864 total, of which...

• 1,712,445 (94.03%) Slovenians
• 55,625 (2.94%) Croats
• 42,182 (2.23%) Serbs
• 26,263 (1.39%) Yugoslavs
• 13,425 (0.71%) Muslims
• 9,496 (0.50%) Hungarians
• 3,288 (0.17%) Macedonians
• 3,217 (0.17%) Montenegrins
• 1,985 (0.10%) Albanians
• 1,435 (0.08%) Romani people
• others

1991

1,913,355 total, of which...

• 1,689,657 (88.30%) Slovenians
• 52,876 (2.76%) Croats
• 47,401 (2.47%) Serbs
• 26,577 (1.38%) Muslims
• 12,075 (0.63%) Yugoslavs
• 8,000 (0.41%) Hungarians
• others

Post Independence

2002

1,964,036 total, of which...

• 1,631,363 (83.06%) Slovenians
• 38,964 (1.98%) Serbs
• 35,642 (1.81%) Croats
• 21,542 (1.10%) Bosniaks
• 10,467 (0.53%) Muslims
• 6,243 (0.32%) Hungarians
• others

External links

• Demography and Social Statistics of Slovenia, SURS
• Results of the 2002 census, SURS