Ljubljana, 28 February (STA) - Around 64,000 or 7.3% of households in Slovenia lived in energy poverty in 2024, 0.1 percentage points more than the previous year. This affected about 110,000 people, 1,000 more than in 2023. Since 2014, the number of energy-poor households has dropped by one third or by 25,000 households.
One-person households had the highest rate (14.3%) when it came to energy poverty, with a higher incidence among people aged 65 or over (15.1%) compared to younger generations (13.5%).
Among households with dependents, single-parent families with at least one child recorded a rate of 13.7%, while other dependent households were below 5%. The lowest rate, 1.9%, was recorded for households with at least three adults.
Regionally, energy poverty ranged from 3.9% in Central Slovenia to 10.4% in the northern Koroška and coastal-Karst regions. Western Slovenia stood at 5.2% compared to 9.2% in eastern Slovenia.
For households with incomes below the poverty risk threshold, the main driver of energy poverty was inadequate living conditions, such as leaking roofs, damp walls, or cracked window frames, followed by delays in paying utility bills.
The inability to secure a properly heated home was less common and the rate for this category fell by 0.2 percentage points compared to 2023 to slightly above 4%.
Between 2014 and 2024, the number of households delaying housing cost payments fell by two thirds, and for those unable to heat their homes or living in poor conditions it dropped by 39% and 34%, respectively, though the share of households below the poverty risk threshold increased by 6%.
