The Slovenia Insurance Supervision Agency published an analysis of the 1998 Posočje earthquake that focuses on the vulnerability of Slovenia’s building stock and the limited use of earthquake insurance. The article says most properties remain uninsured, which means a major future earthquake would still leave a large share of rebuilding costs with households and the state, even if better construction standards and stronger civil protection capacity would likely reduce casualties. The agency recalls that the 12 April 1998 earthquake, with a magnitude of about 5.6 and an epicentre near Bovec, was followed by thousands of aftershocks and caused substantial damage to homes, farm buildings, infrastructure and cultural heritage in Upper Posočje. Reconstruction was carried out through state funding, technical oversight and the gradual introduction of anti-seismic standards, although some older buildings were only partly strengthened and a further earthquake in 2004 prolonged the recovery. In the agency’s survey on earthquake insurance, cover was most common among respondents who regarded their building as fully earthquake-safe at 61%, compared with 54.3% for partly safe buildings and 45.3% for buildings seen as unsafe.
Slovenia Insurance Supervision Agency2026-05-19
Slovenia Insurance Supervision Agency highlights low earthquake insurance coverage for Slovenian building stock
The Slovenia Insurance Supervision Agency published an analysis of the 1998 Posočje earthquake highlighting the high vulnerability of Slovenia’s building stock and the limited uptake of earthquake insurance. It finds that most properties remain uninsured, so a major future earthquake would still leave a large share of rebuilding costs with households and the state, and notes that insurance coverage is more common among respondents who consider their buildings fully earthquake-safe than among those who view them as partly safe.