GINI Country Report: Growing Inequalities and their Impacts in Slovenia

According to the data, the inequality in Slovenia remained relatively stable and low over the period from independence in 1991 to the end of the 2008, when the current economic crisis hit Slovenia. Furthermore, according to the OECD document (OECD 2011), Slovenia was the most equal among the OECD countries at the international level in the late 2000s with a Gini coefficient of 0.24. In addition to that, Slovenian households exhibit low indebtedness. Household debt in Slovenia is among the lowest in euro area countries. At the end of 2010, the debt in Slovenian households amounted to 31% of GDP, which is second only to Slovakia, (Noč 2011). The level of education attainment and position on the labour market are the main drivers of inequality, while the redistributive role of the Slovenian social security system and tax system maintain relatively and absolutely low income inequality and at-risk-of-poverty rates. Regardless of the fairly egalitarian nature of the current Slovenian society, there are groups with characteristics that put them at greater risk for falling into material depravity, poverty or social exclusion. Aside from the classic division between activity and inactivity in the labour market, where unemployed and inactive persons are more ‘prone’ to greater risk, there is growing differentiation among active persons as well. A growing segment of flexibly employed, mainly young, individuals hold positions in the labour market that could be described as precarious and insecure. On the other side, older persons, mostly retired, also have greater at-risk-of-poverty rates.