Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Demography and Level of Living
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Litostrojska cesta 54
SI-1000 Ljubljana
SLOVENIA
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
17 December 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
17 December 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
17 December 2025
3.1. Data description
Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.
The regional breakdown of the Member States in the regional demographic tables is done under the most recent NUTS classification. There are agreements between Eurostat and Candidate countries as well as between Eurostat and EFTA countries, for which statistical regions have been coded in a way that resembles NUTS. For more information on the versions in force, please see Eurostat NUTS.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Not applicable.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
One of the following definitions is used by a country when explaining the statistical concepts:
Usually resident population means all persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time; for more information see the Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1260/2013.
Legal residence population is composed of those persons who are entitled to be settled in the country at the reference date, either by holding the national citizenship or by other authorization issued by national authorities.
Registered residence population is composed of those persons who are listed on one or more registers owned by national authorities at the reference date. Each registered person shall be counted only once.
See the table 3.4.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
See the table 3.4.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.5. Statistical unit
Number of persons.
3.6. Statistical population
See the table 3.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.7. Reference area
Population, live births and deaths data are available at national and regional level of geographical detail.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Population, births, deaths: since 1922. Migration, marriages, divorces: from 1954.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Data is collected at unit (person) level.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December). The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year during which the migration occurred.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
National Statistics Act defines the role and co-operation of SURS and authorised producers concerning the organisation, preparation, execution of statistical programmes and reporting about them as well as respect of the fundamental principles, data dissemination and international co-operation. Specific agreements are signed with data producing agencies, determining the procedures, deadlines etc. regarding data sharing and transmission.
National release dates are published online for the entire year ahead. Registered users (free registration online) can get an email on all the releases on the subjects they choose for the coming week. Users can also register to receive a link to new releases as they are published.
All demographic statistics are disseminated online in a lot of detail (down to settlement level in case of population, LAU2 level in other cases). More detailed data are provided upon request if confidentiality is not compromised.
Births and deaths: provisional estimates based on incomplete data sources are published monthly, more complete provisional data are published quarterly.
Migration, marriages, divorces: annually, some provisional data are published quarterly.
Overall accuracy and special cases (inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, persons living on unauthorised or irregular basis, international students, persons who do not register/deregister, etc.).
See the table 13.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.1.1 Accuracy - unknown values
See the table 13.1.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.2. Sampling error
See the table 13.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.3. Non-sampling error
See the table 13.3 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
14.1. Timeliness
According to Article 4 (2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata (in the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year. According to Article 3 (2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
14.2. Punctuality
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Statistics are completely comparable between geographical areas.
15.2. Comparability - over time
See the table 15.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The same concept of usually resident population is used in the whole national statistical system.
Differences between Residence Permits Statistics and International Migration Statistics:
Reasons for difference between issued first residence permits (RP) and immigration: 98% of the difference is caused by persons whose initial RP may be valid for under 12 months, but they are included in the IM flow if their RP (or consecutive RPs) is extended to a total of 12+ months during the year (see Example 1 below). The remaining 2% are 3rd country citizens with registered permanent residence in Slovenia (their RP has been valid for several years) who have returned to Slovenia after temporary absence of 1 year or more.
Reasons for difference between valid residence permits (RP) and 3rd coutry citizens in population stock: 89% of the difference is due to residence being registered later than the start of validity of the RP (see Example 2 below). The remaining 11% are 3rd country citizens with registered permanent residence in Slovenia (their RP has been valid for several years) who are temporarily absent from Slovenia for 1 year or more.
EXAMPLE 1: Person A comes to Slovenia on 1 February 2024 with a residence permit valid for 6 months, until 31 July 2024. On 31 July 2024 person A gets an extension of their permit for 7 more months, valid until 1 March 2025. So on 31 July 2024 we know that A's stay in Slovenia is intended as 12 or more months, so they are included in the immigrants count. However, as regards residence permits, A's first (6-month) permit was not included in the RP count.
EXAMPLE 2: Person B is issued a residence permit valid for 12 months on 15 November 2024 (valid until 15 November 2024). They, however, do not register residence in Slovenia until 20 November 2024, and their residence is only valid as long as the permit is valid, namely until 15 November 2025, making B's intended length of stay a little under 12 months. Therefore B is not considered an immigrant (at least not in 2024), but of course B's residence permit was counted in the RP count.
15.4. Coherence - internal
All components of the demographic equation use the same definition so the equation in itself is balanced and coherent. The use of the same source (Central Population Register) and same concepts in all demographic statistics ensures coherent data.
Data for national needs and international dissemination are provided at optimum costs.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Final demographic data are not revised.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
See the table 18.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
From Central Population Register: monthly, quarterly. From National Institute of Public Health: annually. From District Courts: continuous.
18.3. Data collection
Data from the Central Population Register and the National Institute of Public Health are transmitted electronically as per agreement between institutions. Questionnaires on divorces are filled in on-line by district courts. All data are processed according to the “usual residence” definition.
18.4. Data validation
Controls are carried out on the bases of reference date population and demographic events, all data are controlled on individual level by using PINs and PINs of mother/father/spouse. Additional controls ensure that data are consistent within a time series as well as on all territorial units.
18.5. Data compilation
PIN's are used to link records. Persons appearing in vital and dual events are assigned their usual residence from SURS-derived population database.
18.6. Adjustment
Population of previous year plus natural change (live births minus deaths) plus net migration (immigrants minus emigrants) equals the population on 1 January of this year (the demographic balance for total population).
The equation is not necessarily consistent if only non-national population is looked at because some events can be registered with a delay in the Central Population Register and might not be recorded by SURS when the delay is too long.
Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
One of the following definitions is used by a country when explaining the statistical concepts:
Usually resident population means all persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time; for more information see the Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1260/2013.
Legal residence population is composed of those persons who are entitled to be settled in the country at the reference date, either by holding the national citizenship or by other authorization issued by national authorities.
Registered residence population is composed of those persons who are listed on one or more registers owned by national authorities at the reference date. Each registered person shall be counted only once.
See the table 3.4.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
See the table 3.4.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Number of persons.
See the table 3.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Population, live births and deaths data are available at national and regional level of geographical detail.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December). The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year during which the migration occurred.
Overall accuracy and special cases (inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, persons living on unauthorised or irregular basis, international students, persons who do not register/deregister, etc.).
See the table 13.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.1.1 Accuracy - unknown values
See the table 13.1.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Data is collected at unit (person) level.
PIN's are used to link records. Persons appearing in vital and dual events are assigned their usual residence from SURS-derived population database.
See the table 18.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Population: quarterly.
Births and deaths: provisional estimates based on incomplete data sources are published monthly, more complete provisional data are published quarterly.
Migration, marriages, divorces: annually, some provisional data are published quarterly.
According to Article 4 (2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata (in the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year. According to Article 3 (2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
Statistics are completely comparable between geographical areas.
See the table 15.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
