Slovenia
The Republic of Slovenia is in Central Europe bordering Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, and the Adriatic Sea. It is about the size of New Jersey and covers an area of20,273sq. kilometers. Slovenia’s total population is about 2 million and growing at a slight rate of 0.09% with 50% living in urban areas. The Slovenian capital of Ljubljana has a population of about 265,000 with other major cities including Maribor (110,000) and Kranj (51,000). The people are governed by a parliamentary democracy and are predominately Catholic. The primary language used is Slovenian with English being widely understood by businessmen. Slovenia joined both NATO and the EU in 2004. Slovenia and adopted the Euro as currency in 2007.
Slovenia’s economy has been stable and strong since joining the EU. It has the highest GDP per capita in Central Europe and a well-educated work force. However, the economy has one of the highest levels of government control in the EU and therefore has relatively low levels of foreign investment. Its main trade partners are Germany, Italy, Austria, Croatia, France, and Russia. Its primary imports are machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, and food. Exports consist of manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, and food. Slovenia’s GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) is $58.91 billion and is shrinking at a real rate of 2.3% with an inflation rate of 2.6%. Slovenia ranked 35 out of 185 countries in the World Bank Group’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking.
| Demographic Data | Economic Data | Cultural & Other Data | |||
| Area (sq. km.) | 20,273 | GDP (PPP, $bn) | 58.91 | Capital | Ljubljana |
| Population (million) | 1.992 | GDP Real Growth (%) | -2.3 | Other Large Cities | Maribor |
| Population Growth(%) | 0.09 | per Cap GDP ($) | 28,700 | Primary Language | Slovenian |
| PopulationUnder15yrs (%) | 13.4 | Prime Lending Rate (%) | 5.73 | Urbanization | 50 |
| Population below poverty line (%) | 13.6 | Inflation Rate% | 2.6 | Urban Growth | 0.6 |
| Agricultural Workers(% of the population) | 2.2 | Unemployment% | 12 | Literacy (population %) | 99.7 |
| Industrial Workers(% of the population) | 35 | Foreign Direct Investment ($bn) | 17.36 | Education spending% of GDP | 5.7 |
| Service Workers(% of the population) | 62.8 | Debt-External($bn) | 53.88 | CPI Score(1-100)* | 61 |
| Labor Force (mil) | 0.92 | Exports ($bn) | 80.67 | Corporate Income Tax % | 17 |
| Imports ($bn) | 28.01 | Ease of Doing Business Ranking ** | 35 |
Click the links below for articles with more information on Franchising in Slovenia
Reform of European Union Rules on Distribution(2010)
European Commission's New Block Exemption Rules Enter into Force June 1(2010)
* CPI Score is published by Transparency International and relates to the perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts and ranges between 100 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt).
**Ease of Doing Business Ranking is determined by the World Bank Group and is ranked out of a possible 185 countries.www.doingbusiness.org
Most recent statistics have been taken from the CIA World Factbook unless noted otherwise.