In 2022, Slovenia and Switzerland recorded a new record level in their bilateral trade. The volume of trade increased by 80.5% compared to the previous year (to CHF 18.2 billion), making Switzerland Slovenia’s most important trading partner. This growth can be attributed to one sector in particular: the pharmaceutical industry. Swiss exports in this sector reached CHF 11.3 billion, an increase of 45.2%, while imports increased by a remarkable 219.3% to CHF 6.2 billion. This is mainly due to ‘intercompany trade’ by the pharmaceutical industry, which has invested heavily in Slovenia in recent years. But even without pharmaceuticals, Switzerland’s exports to Slovenia have developed positively.

Slovenia’s GDP grew by 5.4% in 2022, a decline from the previous year (8.1%). Nevertheless, Slovenia recorded one of the highest growth rates in Europe. The economic development makes Slovenia an attractive location for Swiss investments. In 2022, Switzerland even rose to become the second most important foreign direct investor behind Austria. In addition to the dominant pharmaceutical and chemical industries, the transport and logistics sectors are particularly promising. Slovenia is also striving to expand the IT/AI sector.

Source : Ambassade de Suisse: Rapport économique Slovénie 2022, Ljubljana 2023.