Will Slovenes soon find themselves on the endangered species list?
Slovenia's already small population is rapidly dropping because of a low birth rate. What is the problem and will Slovenes soon find themselves on an endangered species list? According to a United Nations report, if Slovenia's population trend continues, it will decline by roughly 400.000 by the year 2050. For a country with just two million inhabitants, this would be a significant loss.
One of the answers is the lack of affordable housing. According to a recent survey by the University of Ljubljana's student organization, a majority of young Slovenes (aged 25 to 35) still live with their parents. And about half of them say that the lack of their own homes is one of the things stopping them from starting families. We talked to the president of the student society at the University of Maribor, Simona Lesnik:
"The biggest problem in Slovenia is that there is not enough not-for-profit housing. Private apartments have such high rents that students have no hope of affording them. Students are also not able to work additionally, since they can't do both things simultaneously. In cases where young people have children, the financial problems are expounded."
An overwhelming majority of young people also blame the government for not providing enough housing opportunities for young people. Simona Lesnik:
"People apply for homes for young families, but there are far too few, so students and other young families solve this problem by living with their parents or relatives. They solve their housing problem this way, plus they also get financial help from their parents and the grandparents watch over the children."
This option proves too enticing for many young Slovenes, and many of them then remain stuck within this situation.
If this trend isn't eventually reversed, Slovenia will have a serious problem on its hands: an aging population combined with a lack of young people.
