The likelihood of receiving a counterfeit euro banknote or coin when using cash in Slovenia remains relatively low. Working with the police, we find that the number of counterfeit banknotes withdrawn from circulation last year rose compared with 2024, while the number of counterfeit coins fell. But the number of counterfeits remains very low compared with the total number of euro banknotes and coins in circulation in Slovenia. There is a similar finding regarding the total face value of counterfeit euro cash detected in Slovenia, which rose last year but remains low.
Banka Slovenije would like to emphasise that the likelihood of receiving counterfeit euro cash remains relatively small. The number of counterfeits compared with the total number of euro banknotes and coins in circulation in Slovenia remains low, and down on its pre-pandemic level. It should also be noted that passing counterfeits for payment is a criminal offence.
A total of 1,672 counterfeit euro banknotes and 4,859 counterfeit euro coins were withdrawn from circulation in Slovenia in 2025. The number of counterfeit banknotes rose by 491 (approximately 42%) compared with the previous year, while the number of counterfeit coins fell by 1,806 (approximately 27%).
While the 2 € coin remains the most frequently counterfeited coin (accounting for just under 82% of all counterfeit coins), 2025 saw a rise in the numbers of 50 € and 100 € notes withdrawn. The number of 200 € notes withdrawn fell by almost a half. The total value of counterfeit euro cash detected increased by approximately 28% to EUR 140,935.
Together with the ECB and the other national central banks in the euro area, Banka Slovenije reminds consumers that they can check the authenticity of euro banknotes using the simple feel, look and tilt method, as described in detail on the Banka Slovenije and ECB websites. If you are given a suspicious banknote or coin, compare it directly with one that you know is genuine. If your suspicion is confirmed, inform the police without delay.
The number of counterfeits in the euro area as a whole remains very low compared with the number of authentic banknotes in circulation. For every million authentic notes in circulation, only 14 counterfeits were detected in 2025, the lowest figure since the introduction of the euro, with the exception of the pandemic years of 2021 and 2022.
