Socioeconomic determinants of health in Slovenia

Analyses in Slovenia, as in other countries, highlight the relationship between social and economic factors, the opportunity to be healthy, the risk and severity of disease, and the risk of premature death. These factors include the number of years in education, level and security of income and employment, housing conditions and security, and social and community capital. These factors interact to shape the health habits of the population, and affect risk patterns and morbidity levels in different groups in the population. The effects of differences in socioeconomic opportunities and circumstances can accumulate over a lifetime; they produce the gradient in life expectancy and mortality rates observed across the Slovene population.

The patterns and magnitude of health inequalities in Slovenia are similar to those found in other European Union (EU) countries. Systematic action on the wider social, economic and environmental conditions can lead to significant improvements in the levels and distribution of the population’s health. Slovenia is already implementing a range of policies in the fields of social security, education, health and taxation that address these issues. These policies enable accelerated progress towards improved equity and health.