Slovenia

Slovenia Factbook

After decades of Communist rule, the people of Slovenia are free to worship. Most are listed as Roman Catholic, but few are practicing.

Slovenia is located in central Europe to the south of Austria and east of northern Italy. It also shares borders with Hungary and Croatia.

Nearly 2 million people live in Slovenia. Over 95% of the people are Slavic. Most of the remainder are from the surrounding nations.

Slovenia's economy has improved rapidly since independence. Although there is room for improvement, it has done significantly better than the other former communist countries of Europe. Much of its trade is with central and western Europe, and it is a candidate for entry into the European Union.

Slovenia was part of Austria until 1918. It then joined with current day Croatia and Serbia to form what became Yugoslavia. Following World War II, a communist government took control. In 1991, government fell, and Yugoslavia was split to form three independent countries. Slovenia operates as a parliamentary republic, and there is freedom of religion.

The Roman Catholic Church is the dominant religious group with over 80% of the population. The Catholic Church has a strong influence in governmental affairs. However, a small percentage of Catholics are active in the church, and the overall number of Catholics has been falling.

More than 10% of the people are classified as atheists, and their numbers are growing. Evangelicals are few in number, just a few thousand, but there has been some growth.

The Slovenian Bible Society has recently completed a Bible translation in the Slovene language. Pray for them as they publish and distribute God's word. Pray that the Lord would use this translation to bless many.

Evangelicals have been successful in other efforts to distribute Christian literature throughout the country.

Pray for missionaries as they work in Slovenia. A limited amount of Christian radio is available in Slovene. Pray for this ministry.

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