On 29 July 2026, Dr Andraž Rangus, a researcher at the Institute for Economic Research, spoke to journalist Urška Valjavec on Radio Slovenia about the key demographic challenges that Slovenia will face in the coming decades.

During the interview, he discussed the implications of an ageing population for pension and healthcare systems, long-term care and the labour market. He stressed that an ageing population is not necessarily negative, as this is primarily due to people living longer and healthier lives. The key challenge lies in our ability to adapt our social systems quickly enough to the changing intergenerational balance.

No single measure will suffice. What is needed is a combination of extending working lives, thoughtful immigration policy, developing relevant skills and, above all, increasing productivity. As he emphasized in the interview: 'Demographics set the framework, but they do not determine our fate.' We still have room to maneuver, but with every year of inaction, that room shrinks slightly.

The full interview titled “Andraž Rangus: Demographics are not an unexpected storm – we can see it coming” is available on the RTV Slovenia website.