Slovenia's fertility rate declined to 1.55 last year from 1.64 the year before as under 18,000 children were born, 7% less than in 2021, the latest Statistics Office data show.

The 17,627 births, or 8.4 per 1,000 population, is the fifth lowest number in the 101 years since population statistics have been available.

There was a four-year period around 2000 when there were fewer births than last year, but then the figures picked up as larger cohorts born in the 1970s started to have children.

In the last five years the birth rate has been declining once again.

Slovenia has witnessed natural decrease every year since 2017, as more people die than are born.

The country's population is currently increasing, but this is mostly due to migration.

Slovenia had 2,116,972 residents on 1 January, 9,792 more than a year earlier.

While the number of Slovenian citizens decreased by nearly 7,600, the number of foreign citizens increased by 17,400.

Last year about 15% of all children were born to mothers with foreign citizenship, with Bosnians leading the way (46%), followed by Kosovars (20%).